•rain
SERMONS
FOR
ALL THE SUNDAYS IN THE YEAK.
4
SEKMOISTS
FOB
TRANSLATED FEOM THE ITALIAN
OF
ST. ALPHONSUS M. LIGUOBI,
^is^op of Si. &gs%,
AND FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER.
BY THE LATK
VERY REV. NICHOLAS CALLAN, D.D.,
Cntbolic
EIGHTH EDITION.
DUBLIN :
JAMES DUFFY & SONS, 15 WELLINGTON QUAY;
AT<D
LONDON: 1 PATERNOSTER ROW.
1882.
1P53
DUBLIN :
bti ffbmunb HJnrhe anb Co.,
tJl & 02 (JRKAT STRAND STREET.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
OBJECT OF THE WORK . . 1
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS . . 3
SERMON I. — First Sunday of Advent :
On the General Judgment . . . .17
SERMON II. — Second Sunday of Advent :
On the advantages of tribulations . . .23
SERMON III. — Third Sunday of Advent :
On the means necessary for salvation . . 32
SERMON IV. — Fourth Sunday of Advent :
On the love of Jesus Christ for us, and on our obli
gation to love him . . . . .37
SERMON V. — Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity:
In what true wisdom consists .... 43
SERMON VI.:
On the malice of mortal sin . . . .50
SERMON VII. — Second Sunday after the Epiphany :
On the confidence with which we ought to recommend
ourselves to the Mother of God . . .56
SERMON VIIL— Third Sunday after the Epiphany :
On the remorse of the damned . . . '. 64
SERMON IX. — Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany :
Dangers to eternal salvation . . . . . 70
SERMON X. — Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany :
On the pains of hell . . . . .76
SERMON XL — Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany :
On the death of the just . . . . .. 83
CONTEXTS.
SERMON XII.— Septuagesima Sunday :
On the importance of salvation 93
SERMON XI II— Scxagesima Sunday :
On the unhappy life of sinners, and on the liappy
ltfe of those wJio love God . 99
SERMON XIV.— Quinquagesima Sunday:
Decisions of sinners . . 107
SERMON XV.— First Sunday of Lent:
On the number of sins beyond which God pardons
no more .... ]i o
SERMON XVL— Second Sunday of Lent :
On heaven ..... 119
SERMON XVII.— Third Sunday of Lent :
On concealing sins in confession . 125
SERMON XVIII. —Fourth Sunday of Lent :
On the tender compassion which Jesus Christ
entertains towards sinners . 132
SERMON XIX.— Passion Sunday :
On the danger to ivhich tepidity exposes the soul . 138
SERMON XX.— Palm Sunday :
On the evil effects of bad habits . ..145
SERMON XXL— Easter Sunday :
On t/ie miserable state of relapsing sinners . .152
SERMON XXII.— First Sunday after Easter :
On avoiding the occasions of sin . . .159
SERMON XXIII. — Second Sunday after Easter :
On scandal . . . . % . . 1GG
SERMON XXIV.— Third Sunday after Easter :
On the value of time . , . . .174
SERMON XXV.— Fourth Sunday after Easter :
On obedience to your confessor . . . . 181
SERMON XXVI. — Fifth Sunday after Easter :
On the conditions of prayer . . . .189
CONTENTS.
SERMON XXVII.— Sixth Sunday after Easter :
On human respect . . . . , I$Q
SERMON XXVIII— Pentecost Sunday :
On conformity to the will of God . . .204
SERMON XXIX.— Trinity Sunday :
On the love of the Three Divine Persons for man 211
SERMON XXX.— First Sunday after Pentecost :
On charity to our neighbour . . . 218
SERMON XXXI. —Second Sunday after Pentecost :
On holy communion . . , . ,228
SERMON XXXII.— Third Sunday after Pentecost :
On the mercy of God towards sinners . . 235
SERMON XXXIII.— Fourth Sunday after Pentecost :
Death is certain and uncertain . . .242
SERMON XXXIV — Fifth Sunday after Pentecost :
On the sin of anger ...... 250
SERMON XXXV.— Sixth Sunday after Pentecost :
On the vanity of the world . . . .259
SERMON XXXVI.— Seventh Sunday after Pentecost :
On the education of children , . . .266
SERMON XXXVIL— Eighth Sunday after Pentecost :
On the particular Judgment . . . .276
SERMON XXXVIII,— Ninth Sunday after Pentecost :
On the death of the sinner . . . ,285
SERMON XXXIX.— Tenth Sunday after Pentecost :'
On the efficacy and necessity of prayer . .292
SERMON XL. — Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost :
On tlie vice of 'speaking immodestly . . . 299
SERMON XLL— Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost :
On the abuse of divine mercy .... 305
SERMON XL1L— Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost :
On avoiding bad company . . . .313
V111 CONTENTS.
PAGE
SERMON XLIIL— Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost:
All ends and soon ends . . , .319
SERMON XLIV.— Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost :
On the practical death, or on what ordinarily hap
pens at the death of men of the vjorld . .327
SERMON XL V.— Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost :
On impurity . .337
SERMON XLVL— Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost :
On the love of God . . . . . .347
SERMON XL VII. —Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost :
On bad thoughts .... 356
SERMON XL VIII. —Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost:
On the pain of loss which t/te damned suffer in hell 363
SERMON XLIX.— Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost :
On the predominant passion . 372
SERMON L.— Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost :
On the eternity of hell 380
SERMON LI.— Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost :
On straits and anguish of dying Christians who have
been negligent during life about the duties of
religion 388
SERMON LIL— Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost :
On impenitence . . 396
SERMON LI II. —Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost :
On blasphemy . . : 406
OBJECT OF THE WORK.
THE present Work is entitled, ABRIDGED SERMONS
FOR ALL THE SUNDAYS IN THE YEAR. They are
called Abridged Sermons, because, although each
contains abundant matter for a sermon, the senti
ments are briefly expressed — not, however, so
briefly as to render the sense obscure. Hence
the work may be used for spiritual lectures.
Diffuseness has been purposely avoided, that the
preacher may extend the subject treated in
the way which may appear best to him. A
preacher will scarce ever deliver, with zeal and
warmth, sentiments which he has not made in
some manner his own. Hence the matter of each
sermon has been condensed into a small compass,
that the preacher may extend it according to his
pleasure, and thus make it his own.
In each sermon there are many passages from
the Scriptures and Holy Fathers, and a variety
of reflections — perhaps too many for a single dis
course — that the reader may select what will be
most pleasing to him. The style is easy and
simple, and therefore calculated to render the
preaching of the Divine Word conducive to the
salvation of souls.
PROTESTATION.
IN obedience to the decrees of Urban VIII., I
protest that, of the miraculous works and gifts
ascribed in this work to certain servants of God,
and not already approved by the Holy See, I
claim no other belief than that which is ordinarily
given to history resting on mere human authority ;
and that in bestowing the title of Saint or Blessed,
on any person not canonized or beatified by the
Church, I only intend to do it according to the
usage and opinion of men.
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
1. IN the first place, the preacher, if he wishes that
his preaching shall produce abundant fruit, should
propose to himself the proper end — thafcis, to preach,
not with a view to obtain honour, or applause, or
any temporal advantage, but solely to gain souls
to God ; and hence it is necessary, that when he
enters upon his exalted office of divine ambas
sador, he should pray to God fervently to inflame
his heart with his holy love; because it is by this
means that his preaching will be productive of
much fruit. The venerable Father John D'Avila
being once asked, what was most conducive to
wards preaching well, replied in those short but
expressive words—" To love Jesus Christ ivell"
It has been therefore found by experience, that
preachers who love Jesus Christ have often effected
more by a single discourse, than others by several.
2. St. Thomas of Villanova said, that the words
of a sermon should be like so many darts of fire,
which would wound and inflame the hearers with
divine love. " But how," he subjoined, " can the
heart be set on fire by those sermons which, though
long and elaborate, issue, notwithstanding, from
a frozen heart ? " St. Francis de Sales observes,
that the tongue speaks to the ear, but the heart
speaks to the heart. He proceeds to say, that
when the sentiments do not spring from the heart
of the preacher, it is with difficulty they draw the
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
hearts of others to divine love ; he must himself
be first inflamed with it. " Lampades ejus
lampades ignis, atque flammarum." (Cant. viii. 6.)
He must be first a fire to burn, and afterwards a
flame to set others on fire. St. Bernard explained
this in other terms, when he said, that he must be
first a cistern, and then a canal ; first a cistern—
that is, full of the fervour and zeal which are
collected in mental prayer ; and then a canal, to
communicate it to others.
3. With regard to the subject matter of sermons.
Those subjects should be selected which move
most powerfully to detest sin and to love God ;
whence the preacher should often speak of the
last things— of death, of judgment, of Hell, of
Heaven, and of eternity. According to the advice
of the Holy Spirit, " Memorare novissima tua, et
in setcrnum non peccabis," (Eccl. vii. 40,) it is
particularly usefu often to m ae mention of death,
by delivering several discourses on that subject
during the year, speaking at one time on the
uncertainty of death, which terminates all the
pleasures as well as all the afflictions of this life ;
at another, on the uncertainty of the time at
which death may arrive ; now, on the unhappy
death of the sinner ; and again, on the happy
death of the just.
4. The preacher should often speak of the love
which Jesus Christ bears towards us, of the love
which we should bear to Jesus Christ, and of the
confidence we should have in his mercy whenever
we are resolved to amend our lives. It would
appear that some preachers do not know how to
speak of anything but the justice of God, terrors,
threats, and chastisements. There is no doubt
but that terrifying discourses are of use to arouse
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
sinners from the sleep of sin ; but we should be
persuaded at the same time, that those who abstain
from sin solely through the fear of punishment,
will with difficulty persevere for a long time.
Love is that golden link which binds the soul to
God, and makes it faithful in repelling temptation
and practising virtue. St. Augustine said : "Ama
et fac quod vis." He who truly loves God, flies
from everything displeasing to Him, and seeks to
please Him to the utmost of his power. And here
let us cite that remarkable saying of St. Francis
de Sales : " The love that does not spring from
the passion of Christ is weak." By this the saint
gives us to understand that the passion of Christ
moves us most effectually to love him.
5. Thus it is very useful, and most conducive
to inspire the love of God, to speak to sinners of
the confidence which we should have in Jesus
Christ if we abandon sin. " Viam mandatorum,
tuorum cucurri, cum dilatasti cor meum" (Ps,
cxviii. 32.) When the heart is dilated with con
fidence it easily runs in the way of the Lord. In
like manner the preacher should often speak of
the confidence which we should have in the inter
cession of the Mother of God. Besides the dis
courses delivered during the course of the year,
on the principal festivals of the Blessed Virgin
Mary — as the Annunciation, the Assumption, her
Patronage, and her Dolours — let him oftentimes,
in his addresses to the people, inculcate upon the
minds of his auditors devotion to the Mother of
God. Some preachers have a very laudable
custom of introducing into every sermon some
thing regarding the Blessed Virgin, either by re
lating some example of graces bestowed on her
clients, or of some act of homage performed by
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
her votaries, or some prayer which we should
offer to her.
6. Moreover, the preacher should often speak of
the means by which we are preserved in the grace
of God : such as, flying dangerous occasions and
wicked companions, frequenting the sacraments,
and especially recommending ourselves often to
God and the Virgin Mother, in order to obtain
the graces necessary for salvation, and principally
the graces of perseverance and of the love of
Jesus Christ, without which we cannot be saved.
7. The preacher should likewise often speak
against bad confessions, in which sins are con
cealed through shame. This is an evil not of rare
occurrence, but frequent, especially in small
country districts, which consigns innumerable
souls to hell. Hence it is very useful to mention,
from time to time, some example of souls that
were damned by wilfully concealing sins in con
fession.
8. We shall now speak briefly of the parts of a
discourse, which arc nine : — the exordium, the
proposition, the division, the introduction, the
proof, the confutation, the amplification, the
peroration or conclusion, the epilogue, and the
appeal to the passions. These are again reduced
to three principal divisions : 1 — the exordium ; 2
— the proof, which comprises the introduction
that precedes, and the confutation of the
opposite arguments, that follows it ; 3 — the pero
ration or conclusion, which comprises the epilogue,
the moral exhortation, and the appeal to the
passions. To the exordium rhetoricians assign
seven parts : —the introduction, general proposition,
confirmation, repetition of the proposition, con
nection, particular proposition, and division. But,
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
commonly speaking, the substantial parts of the
exordium are three : 1 — the general proposition ;
2 — the connection or the link by which it is con
nected with the particular proposition ; 3 — the
particular proposition, or the principal one of the
discourse, which includes the division of the points.
For example : 1 — " We must work out our salva
tion, because there is no alternative : whosoever
is not saved is damned : " that is the general pro
position. 2 — " But, to be saved, we must die a
happy death :' that is the connection or applica
tion. 3 — " But it is exceedingly difficult to die a
happy death after a wicked life :" and that is the
particular proposition, or principal one of the
discourse, which ought to be clear, concise, and,
simple, and, at the same time, one ; otherwise, if
unity be not observed in the proposition, it would
not be one sermon, but several ; and, therefore,
the points into which the discourse is divided
ought all tend to prove one single proposition.
For example : "The person who is addicted to a
bad habit is with difficulty saved, because the bad
habit (1) darkens the understanding, (2) hardens
the heart :" and these will be the two points of
the discourse. Let the points be short and few,
not exceeding two, or, at most, three ; and some
times a single point will be sufficient. For ex
ample : " Mortal sin is a great evil, because it is
an injury done to God ;" or, " He who abuses too
much the mercy of God will be abandoned by
Him/'
9. With regard to the body of the discourse,
and, in the first place, the proof, it ought to be a
perfect syllogism, but without appearing to be so.
The major proposition should be proved before
we pass to the minor ; and the minor before we
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
pass to the conclusion. This, however, is to be
understood when the major or minor proposition
requires proof : otherwise, when they express
truths already known and certain, it is sufficient
to amplify, without proving them.
10. As far as regards the order of the proofs,
generally speaking, the authority of the Scrip
tures and of the Holy Fathers should be first ad
duced ; then the arguments from reason ; and
afterwards the illustrations and examples. The
texts of Scripture should be cited in an impressive
and emphatic manner. It is better than to dwell
on the exposition of one cr two texts of Scripure
than to cite many at once, without considering
well their import. The citations from the Fathers
should be few and brief, and containing some senti
ment that is strong and animated, and not trivial.
After the citations, the arguments from reason
should be adduced ; concerning which, some
assert that the weaker reasons should be adduced
in the first place, and then the stronger ; but I
am disposed to adopt the opinion of others, who
think it better that the strong arguments should
be advanced ; and that the weaker ones should
occupy the middle place ; because, were a weak
argument adduced in the commencement, it might
make a bad impression on the minds of the
auditors. After the arguments from reason come
the examples and illustrations. I have said that
this arrangement should be observed ordinarily ;
but, occasionally, it will be of use to give some
one of the foremen tioned proofs precedence of the
others : this must be left to the discretion of the
preacher.
11. Care should be taken that the transition
from one point to the other be made naturally r
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
without passing from one thing to another that
has no relation to it. The most ordinary and
easiest modes are these : " Let us proceed to the
other point/' etc. ; or " Thus, after having seen,"
etc. And passing from one argument to another,
you may say : " Besides, we should consider," etc.,
taking care, as far as it is possible, that the last
part of the preceding argument has some connec
tion with the following point or argument.
12. We have spoken of proofs. As far as re
gards the amplification of proofs, one is verbal,
which consists in words ; another is real, which
may consist either in climax ; for example : "It
is a virtue to suffer tribulations with patience — a
greater virtue to desire them ; it is a greater still
to take delight in them ;" or it may be borrowed
from the circumstances of the subject, or from
comparison with another subject of equal or lesser
consideration. The morals have their proper
place, as we shall remark in the peroration. It is,
however, occasionally allowed, after a satisfactory
proof has been adduced, to address a short exhor
tation ; and this is particularly the case in the
sermons of the Mission, in which the audience is
generally composed of rude, uneducated persons,
on whom moral exhortation makes more impres
sion ; but these moral exhortations that are inci
dentally introduced should not be too long or too
frequent, so as to render the discourse tedious or
languid.
13. The peroration contains three parts — the
epilogue, the moral exhortation, and the appeal to-
the passions. The epilogue is a recapitulation of
the discourse, in which the most convincing argu
ments that have been already advanced are re
peated, but which must be handled with a view
10 INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
to the movement of the passions which is to follow ;
whence the preacher, in his recapitulation, should
commence to move the passions.
14. As to the moral exhortation, it may be
observed, that oftentimes the principal fruit of the
sermon consists, especially in discourses addressed
to the people, in explaining the moral truths suit
able to the subject of the discourse, with propriety
and earnestness. The preacher, therefore, should
take care to speak against the most prevalent
vices, viz. : hatred, impurity, blasphemy ; against
evil occasions, wicked companions ; against parents
who allow their children to hold intercourse with
persons of different sex ; and especially against
mothers who invite young men into their houses
to converse with their daughters. Let him also
exhort the heads of families to remove from their
houses bad books, and particularly novels, which
insinuate a secret poison that corrupts youth. Let
him speak against games of hazard, which are the
ruin of families and of souls.
15. In a word, let the preacher endeavour, in
his sermons, always to insinuate whatever he can
that is practical — that is, the remedies of the
different vices ; the means of persevering in a
virtuous life ; such as, to fly dangerous occasions
and bad company ; to offer violence to one's self
in motions of anger, so as not to break out into
injurious actions or words ; by suggesting to the
hearers some form of expression, to avoid blas
phemies or imprecations ; for example, " Lord,
give me patience ! " " Virgin Alary, assist me ! "
and the like. Let him recommend the people to
hear Mass every morning : to read every day some
spiritual book ; every morning to renew the reso
lutions of not offending God, and to ask the
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS. 11
Divine assistance in order to persevere ; to make
each clay a visit to the most holy sacrament and
the Blessed Virgin, in some representation of her;
each evening to make the examination of con
science, with an act of sorrow ; after having com
mitted a sin, immediately to make an act of
contrition, and to confess it as soon as possible :
above all, let him recommend his hearers to have
recourse to God and to the Blessed Virgin in the
time of temptation, by repeating oftentimes the
name of Jesus and Mary, and continuing to invoke
their aid until the temptation ceases. Those
means and remedies should be often repeated by
the preacher, and recommended frequently in the
course of his sermons ; and he must not be de
terred by the apprehension of being criticised by
some learned person, who may remark that the
preacher repeated the same things. In preaching
we must not seek the applause of the learned, but
the divine approbation and the advantages of souls,
and particularly of poor ignorant persons, who do
not profit so much by thoughts and arguments, as
by those easy practices which are suggested and
repeated to them. T say repeated, since those
rude and unlettered persons will easily forget
what they hear, unless it is oftentimes repeated
to them.
16. Let young preachers also take care to de
velop, and to commit to memory, their sermons,
before they deliver them from the pulpit. To
preach extempore is useful, inasmuch as the dis
course becomes thus more natural and familiar ;
this, however, is not the case with young men,
but only with those who have been in the habit
of preaching for many years ; otherwise, young
men would contract a habit of speaking without
12 INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
preparation, and of preaching at random, saying
whatever occurred to them, without any order or
arrangement. However, young preachers should
take care to develop their sermons, not in the florid
style of elaborate expression, lofty thoughts, and
sounding periods. Read the golden treatise on
popular eloquence by the celebrated scholar, Louis
Muratori ; in which he proves that all sermons
addressed to an audience composed of learned
and unlearned, ought to be not only familiar, but
also popular; composed in an easy and simple style,
such as the people are in the habit of using ;
avoiding, however, all low and vulgar expressions,
which are not suited to the dignity of the pulpit
"The people," says Muratori, "are composed for
the most part of the ignorant ; if you address to
them abstruse doctrines and reflections, and use
words and phrases that are not adapted to ordinary
comprehensions, what fruit do you hope for from
persons who do not understand you 1 Wherefore,
the practice of those preachers will never be con
formable to the rules of the art, or the principles
of genuine eloquence, who, instead of accommo
dating themselves to the limited capacity of so
many of their hearers, appear to study to make
themselves intelligible to the learned only ; as if
they were ashamed to make themselves understood
by the poor, who have as good a right to the word
of God as the learned. Nay more, a Christian
preacher is bound to each one of his auditory in
particular, as if there were no other who heard
him. He who employs lofty reasoning, and is not
careful to make himself understood by all, betrays
the cause of God and his own duty, and disregards
the spiritual necessities of a great portion of his
audience." Hence the Council of Trent prescribes
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS. 13
to all parish priests, to compose their discourses in
a manner adapted to the capacity of their audience:
" Archipresbyteri et parochi per se vel alios
idoneos, plebes sibi commissas pro earum capaci
tate pascant salutaribus verbis." (Sess. v. cap. i.
de Eeform.)
17. St. Francis de Sales said, that select
language and sounding periods are the bane of
sacred eloquence ; and the principal reason of this
is, that sermons composed in this style have not
the divine sanction and concurrence. They may
be of use to the learned, but not to the illiterate,
who generally constitute the principal part of
every audience. On the other hand, sermons
composed in a familiar style are useful to the
illiterate as well as to the learned. Muratori adds,
that when the preacher addresses the humbler
classes alone, or country people, he ought to make
use of the most popular and familiar style possible,
in order to accommodate himself to the gross
understanding of such ignorant persons. He
says, that the preacher, when speaking to those
rude people, should imagine himself to be one of
them, who was desirous to persuade a companion
of something ; that, on this account also, the
periods of sermons addressed to the common
people should be concise and broken, so that
whoever has not caught the meaning of the first
sentence, may be able to comprehend the second;
which cannot be done when the sentences are
long and connected ; for then, whoever does not
understand the first period will not understand
the second nor the third.
18. Muratori also observes, that, in preaching
to the people, it is very useful to make frequent
use of the figure called antiplwra; by which a
14 INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACH El IS.
question is asked, and replied to by the speaker.
For example : u Tell me why so many sinners re
lapse, after confession, into the same sins ? I will
tell you : because they do not remove the
dangerous occasions of sin/' It is also useful
oftentimes to call on the auditory to attend to
what is said, and especially to certain things that
are more important. For example : " 0 good
God ! you come to us in order to save us, and we
fly from you to destroy ourselves." It is useful
likewise to repeat with emphasis some striking
maxim of religion ; as, for example : " There is no
alternative : sooner or later we must die — sooner
or later we must die ;" or, " My brethren, it is
certain that, after this life, we must be eternally
happy, or eternally miserable/'
19. I do not enlarge more on this subject, which
I deem most important, as I have found it neces
sary to write more at length on it in a letter of
apology which I published in reply to a religious
who censured me for approving of sermons com
posed in a simple and popular style. I there pre
mised in a sufficient manner whatever Muratori
has observed on this subject, and subjoined what
the Holy Fathers have written on it, as far as I
was able to discover. I pray the reader not to
omit to read this letter : it is an uncommon little
treatise, which contains matter not treated by any
preceding writer.
20. I do not, however, deem it right to omit
to say something on the modulation of the voice,
and on the gesture which should be used in preach
ing. As far as regards the voice, the preacher
should avoid speaking in an inflated tone, or in a
monotonous and invariably loud tone of voice.
What moves and engages the attention of the
INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS. 15
hearers is, to speak at one time in a strong, at
another time in a middle voice, and at another in
a low voice, according as it suits the sentiment
that is expressed, but without any sudden or
violent fall or elevation ; now to exclaim ; now to
pause ; and now to resume with a sigh. This
variety of tone and manner keeps the audience
always attentive.
21. The preacher should avoid gesture that is
affected, or oftentimes repeated in the same form,
or too vehement, with much agitation of the body.
The arms should be moved with moderation :
ordinarily the right hand should be used ; the left
but seldom. The hands should not be raised
above the head, nor too much extended sideways,
nor held too confined. In delivering the exordium
the preacher should remain stationery, and should
not move from a middle position in the pulpit : in
delivering the first sentence he should not use
gesture ; in the second, he should only commence
to move the right hand, keeping the left resting on
the pulpit or the breast. Let him take care not to
keep the arms attached close to the sides, or to
raise them both at the same time in form of a cross,
or throw them behind the shoulders. Ho must
rarely strike them against each other or against
the pulpit : to stamp the feet is very unbecoming.
The motion of the head should correspond with
that of the hand, accompanying it in the direction
in which, it moves. It is a fault to twist the head,
or move it too often or too violently, or to hold it
always raised, or always inclined upon the breast.
The eyes ought to accompany the motion of the
head ; whence it is a fault to keep them always
closed or cast downwards, or fixed immoveably in
one direction . It may be permitted sometimes to
16 INSTRUCTIONS TO PREACHERS.
sit down, but it should be seldom. The same
may be said of moving back and forward : but the
preacher should never run from one side of the
pulpit to the other. He should, for the most
part, speak from a middle position, so as to be
seen equally from either side ; but it is useful to
incline occasionally to the right or left, without,
however, turning the back to the opposite direc
tion. Finally, as far as regards the length of the
sermon. The Lent sermons should not exceed an
Lour ; and the Sunday discourses should not oc
cupy more than three quarters of an hour ; but the
parochial instructions should not be longer than
a half-hour, including the act of contrition, to
which, ordinarily, it is advisable to accustom the
common people ; making them, at the close of the
sermon, have recourse to the mother of God, to
ask of her some particular grace — as, holy perse
verance, a happy death, the love of Jesus Christ,
and the like. Nor does it signify, that in order
to make room for the act of contrition, the time
of the sermon must be shortened ; for these acts
are the most precious fruit to be derived from it.
It were well that the preacher should some
times exhort the audience to relate to others what
they have heard in the sermon ; as by this means
it may be made useful even to those who have
not heard it.
SERMONS
or
SABTT ALPHONSUS LIGTTOBI.
SERMON I.— FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.
On the General Judgment.
"And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven
with much power and majesty." — MATT. xxiv. 30.
AT present God is not known, and, therefore, he is as
much despised by sinners, as if he could not avenge,
whenever he pleases, the injuries offered to him. The
wicked " looketh upon the Almighty as if he could do
nothing/' (Job xxii. 17,) But the Lord has fixed a day,
called in the Scriptures "the day of the Lord," on
which the Eternal Judge will make known his power and
majesty. " The Lord," says the Psalmist, "shall be
known when he executeth judgment." (Ps. ix. 17.) On
this text St. Bernard writes : " The Lord, who is now
unknown while he seeks mercy, shall be known when he
executes justice." (Lib. de xii. Rad.) The prophet
bophonias calls the day of the Lord " a day of wrath
a day of tribulation and distress— a day of calamity and
misery." (i. 15.)
Let us now consider, in the first point, the different
appearance of the just and the unjust; in the second,
the scrutiny of consciences ; and in the third, the sen
tence pronounced on the elect and on the reprobate.
First Point On the different appearance of the just
and of sinners in the valley of Josaphat.
1. This day shall commence with fire from Heaven,
13 SERMON I.
which will burn the earth, all men then living, and all
things upon the earth. " And the earth and the works
which are in it shall be burnt up." (2 Pet. m. 10.) All
shall become one heap of ashes.
2 After the death of all men, " the trumpet shal
sound, and the dead shall rise again." (1 Cor. xv. 52.)
St Jerome used to say : " As often as I consider the day
of judgment, I tremble. Whether I eat or drink, or
whatever else I do, that terrible trumpet appears to
sound in my ears, ' arise ye dead, and come to jud£
menV" (in Matt, c. v.) ; and St. Augustine declared,
that nothing banished from him earthly thoughts so
effectually as the fear of judgment.
3 At the sound of that trumpet the souls of the
blessed shall descend from Heaven to be united to t
bodies with which they served God on Earth ; and the
unhappy souls of the damned shall come up from Hell
to take possession again of those bodies with which they
have offended God. Oh ! . ^different the appearance
of the former, compared with that of the latter !
damned shall appear deformed and b lack, like so many
firebrands of Hell ; but « the just shall shine as the sun
rMitt xiii 43) Oh! how great shall then be the
Sppnes of those who have fortified their bodies by
works of penance ! We may estimate their felicity from
the words addressed by St. Peter of Alcantara, after
death, to St. Teresa : " O happy penance ! which
^V^Afte^the^r3 resurrection, they shall be summoned
ssasiiwA&SfSs
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the wicked from among the just/ (Matt. xin. J».l
how Sat will then be the confusion which the un-
Id ^hal suffer^ "What think you/' says
SSS^3^3S3SBft
THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 19
constitute a hell for the wicked. " Et si nihil ulterius
paterentur, ista sola verecundia sufficerit eis ad pcenam,"
(in Matt, c. xxiv.) The brother shall he separated from
the brother, the husband from his wife, the son from the
father, etc.
5. But, behold ! the heavens are opened — the angels
come to assist at the general judgment, carrying, as St.
Thomas says, the sign of the cross and of the other in
struments of the passion of the Redeemer. " Yeniente
Domino ad judicium signum crucis, et alia passionis
indicia demonstrabunt." (Opusc. ii. 244.) The same
may be inferred from the twenty-fourth chapter of St.
Matthew : " And then shall appear the sign of the Son
of Man in Heaven ; and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn." (xxiv. 30.) Sinners shall weep at the
sign of the cross ; for, as St. Chrysostom says, the nails
will complain of them — the wounds and the cross of Jesus
Christ will speak against them. " Clavi de te conquer-
entur, cicatrices contra et loquentur, crux Chris ti contra
te perorabit." (Horn, xx., in Matt.)
6. Most holy Mary, the queen of saints and angels,
shall come to assist at the last judgment ; and lastly, the
Eternal Judge shall appear in the clouds, full of splen
dour and majesty. " And they shall see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds of Heaven with much power and
majesty." (Matt. xxiv. 30.) Oh ! how great shall be the
agony of the reprobate at the sight of the Judge ! "At
their presence/' says the Prophet Joel, " the people shall
be in grievous pains." (Joel ii. 6.) According to St.
Jerome, the presence of Jesus Christ will give the repro
bate more pain than Hell itself. " It would," he says,
" be easier for the damned to bear the torments of Hell
than the presence of the Lord." Hence, on that day,
the wicked shall, according to St. John, call on the
mountains to fall on them and to hide them from the
sight of the judge. " And they shall say to the moun
tains and the rocks : Fall upon us, and hide us from the
face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb." (Apoc. vi. 16.)
Second Point. The scrutiny of conscience.
7. "The judgment sat, and the books were opened.'*
20 SERMON I.
(Dan. vii. 10.) The books of conscience are opened, and
the judgment commences. The Apostle says, that the
Lord " will bring to light the hidden things of darkness."
(1 Cor. iv. 5.) And, by the mouth of his prophet, Jesus
Christ has said : " I will search Jerusalem with lamps."
(Soph. i. 12.) The light of the lamp reveals all that is
hidden.
8. " A judgment," says St. Chrysostom, " terrible to
sinners, but desirable and sweet to the just." (Horn. iii. de
Dav.) The last judgment shall fill sinners with terror,
but will be a source of joy and sweetness to the elect ;
for God will then give praise to each one according to
his works. (1 Cor. iv. 5.) The Apostle tells us that on
that day the just will be raised above the clouds to be
united to the angels, and to increase the number of those
who pay homage to the Lord. " We shall be taken up
together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into tho
air." (IThess. iv. 16.)
9. Worldlings now regard as fools the saints who
led mortified and humble lives; but then they shall
confess their own folly, and say: "We fools esteemed
their life madness, and their end without honour.
Behold how they are numbered among the children
of God, and their lot is among the saints." (Wis. v.
4, 5.) In this world, the rich and the noble are called
happy ; but true happiness consists in a life of sanc
tity. Rejoice, ye souls who live in tribulation ; " your
sorrow shall be turned into joy." (John xvi. 20.) In
the valley of Josaphat you shall be seated on thrones of
glory.
10. But the reprobate, like goats destined for the
slaughter, shall be placed on the left, to await their last
condemnation. " Judicii tempus," says St. Chrysostom,
" misericordiam non recipit." On the day of judgment
there is no hope of mercy for poor sinners. ' Magna,"
says St. Augustine, "jam est pcona peccati, metum et me-
moriam divini perdidisse judicii." (Serm. xx. de Temp.)
The greatest punishment of sin in those who live in
enmity with God, is to lose the fear and remembrance
of the divine judgment. Continue, continue, says the
Apostle, to live obstinately in sin ; but in proportion to
your obstinacy, you shall have accumulated for the
THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 21
day of judgment a treasure of the wrath of God
But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart'
1*$ %self wrath a^st ^ <% «
11. Then sinners will not be able to hide themselves •
but, with insufferable pain, they shall be compelled to
appear m judgment. "To lie hid/' says St. Anselm,
will be impossible— to appear will be intolerable."
The devils will perform their office of accusers, and as
bt. Augustine says, will say to the Judge : -Most iust
3d, declare him to be mine, who was unwilling to be
yours ^The witnesses against the wicked shall be
first, their own conscience—" Their conscience bearing
witness to them,- (Rom. ii. 15) ; secondly, the very walls
of the house in which they sinned shall cry out against
them--" The stone shall cry out of the wall," (Hab. ii
11) ; thirdly, the Judge himself will say— "I am the
judge and the witness, saith the Lord." (Jer. xxix 23 )
Hence, according to St. Augustine, "He who is' now
the witness of .your life, shall be the judge of your
cause. (Lib. x. de Chord., c. ii.) To Christians particu
larly he will say: "Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to
thee, Bethsaida; for if in Tyre and Sidon had been
wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you,
they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes "
(Matt. xi. 21.) Christians, he will say, if the graces
which I have bestowed on you had been given to the
lurks or to the Pagans, they would have done penance
tor their sins; but you have ceased to sin onV with
your death. He shall then manifest to all men their
most hidden crimes. " I will discover thy shame to thy
lace. (JNahum iii. 5.) He will expose to view all their
secret impurities, injustices, and cruelties. " I will set
ai 1 yJabominations aSainst thee-" (Ezech. vii. 3.) Each
of the damned shall carry his sins written on his fore
head.
A i1?" T^hat excuses can save tne wicked on that day?
Ah ! they can offer no excuses. " All iniquity shall
stop her mouth." (Ps. cvi. 42.) Their very sins shall
close the mouth of the reprobate, so that they will not
have courage to excuse themselves. They shall pro
nounce their own condemnation.
22 SERMON I.
Third Point. Sentence of the elect, and of the
reprobate.
13. St. Bernard says, that the sentence of the elect,
and their destiny to eternal glory, shall be first declared,
that the pains of the reprobate may be increased ^ by
the sight of what they lost. " Prius prommciabitur
sententia electis ut acrius (reprobi) doleant yidentes
quid amiserunt." (Ser. viii., in Ps. xc.) Jesus Christ, then,
shall first turn to the elect, and with a serene counte
nance shall say: "Come, ye blessed of my Father,
possess the kingdom preparad for you from the foun
dation of the world. " (Matt. xxv. 34.) He will then
bless all the tears shed through sorrow for their sins,
and all their good works, their prayers, mortifications,
and communions ; above all, he will bless for them the
pains of his passion and the blood shed for their salva
tion. And, after these benedictions, the elect, singing
alleluias, shall enter Paradise to praise and love God
eternity.
14. The Judge shall then turn to the reprobate, and
shall pronounce the sentence of their condemnation in
these words . " Depart from me, you cursed, into ever
lasting fire." (Matt. xxv. 41 ) They shall then be for
ever accursed, separated from God, and sent to burn for
ever in the fire of hell. And these shall go into evcr-
lastin"1 punishment : but the just into life everlasting.
(Matt? xxv. 46.)
15. After this sentence, the wicked shall, according
to St. Ephrem, be compelled to take leave for ever of
their relatives, of Paradise, of the saints, and of Mary
the divine Mother. "Farewell, ye just ! Farewell, (
cross I Farewell, 0 Paradise ! Farewell, fathers and
brothers : we shall never see you again ! Farewell, I
Mary, mother of God I" (St. Eph. de variis serm. inf.)
Then a great pit shall open in the middle of the valley :
the unhappy damned shall be cast into it, and shall see
those doors shut which shall never again be opened.
O accursed sin ! to what a miserable end will you one
day conduct so many souls redeemed by the blood of
Jesus Christ. 0 unhappy souls ! for whom is prepared
such a melancholy end. But, brethren, have con
fidence. Jesus Christ is now a Father, and not
ADVANTAGES OF TRIBULATIONS. 23
judge. He is ready to pardon all who repent. Let us
then instantly ask pardon from him.
[Let the preacher here propose for the people an act
of sorrow, a purpose of amendment, and a prayer to
Jesus ^ and to Mary for the gift of holy perseverance.
Let him repeat the same at the end of every sermon.]
SERMON II.— SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT.
On the advantages of tribulations.
" Now when John had heard of the wonderful works of Christ," etc.
MATT. ix. 2.
IN tribulations God enriches his beloved souls with the
greatest graces. Behold, St. John in his chains comes
to the knowledge of the works of Jesus Christ : " When
John had heard in prison the works of Christ." Great
indeed are the advantages of tribulations. The Lord
sends them to us, not because he wishes our misfortune,
but because he desires our welfare. Hence, when they
come upon us we must embrace them with thanks
giving, and must not only resign ourselves to the divine
will, but^ must also rejoice that God treats us as he
treated his Son Jesus Christ, whose life, upon this earth
was always full of tribulation. I shall now show, in the
first point, the advantages we derive from tribulations ;
and in the second, I shall point out the manner in which
we ought to bear them.
First Point. On the great advantages we derive from
tribulations.
1. "What doth he know that had not been tried?
A man that hath much experience shall think of many
things, and he that hath learned many things shall
show forth understanding." (Eccl. xxxiv. 9.) They
who live in prosperity, and have no experience of
adversity, know nothing of the state of their souls. In
the first place, tribulation opens the eyes which pros
perity had kept shut. St. Paul remained blind after
Jesus Christ appeared to him, and, during his blindness,
24 SERMON II.
he perceived the errors in which he lived. During his
imprisonment in Babylon, King Man asses had recourse
to God, was convinced of the malice of his sins, and
did penance for them. "And after that he was in
distress he prayed to the Lord his God, and did penance
exceedingly before the God of his fathers." (2 Paral.
xxxiii. 12.) The prodigal, when he found himself
under the necessity of feeding swine, and afflicted with
hunger, exclaimed : " I will arise and go to my father."
(Luke xv. 18.)
Secondly, tribulation takes from our hearts all affec
tions to earthly things. When a mother wishes to
wean her infant she puts gall on the paps, to excite his
disgust, and induce him to take better food. God
treats us in a similar manner : to detach us from
temporal goods, he mingles them with gall, that by
tasting its bitterness, we may conceive a dislike for
them, and place our affections on the things of Heaven.
" God," says St. Augustine, " mingles bitterness with
earthly pleasures, that we may seek another felicity,
whose sweetness does not deceive." (Ser. xxix., de Verb.
Dom.)
Thirdly, they who live in prosperity are molested by
many temptations of pride , of vain-glory ; of desires of
acquiring greater wealth, great honours, and greater plea
sures. Tribulations free us from these temptations, and
make us humble and content in the state in which the
Lord has placed us. Hence the Apostle says : " We are
chastised by the Lord that we may not be condemned
with this world." (1 Cor. xi. 32.)
2. Fourthly, by tribulation we atone for the sins we
have committed much better than by voluntary works
of penance. " Be assured," says St. Augustine, " that
God is a physician, and that tribulation is a salutary
medicine." Oh ! how great is the efficacy of tribulation
in healing the wounds caused by our sins ! Hence, the
same saint rebukes the sinner who complains of God
for sending him tribulations. " Why," he says, " do
you complain ? What you suffer is a remedy, not a
punishment." (In Ps. lv.) Job called those happy men
whom God corrects by tribulation ; because he heals
them with the very hands with which he strikes and
ADVANTAGES OF TRIBULATIONS. 25
wounds them. "Blessed is the man whom God cor-
recteth. . . . For he woundeth and cureth. He striketh,
and his hand shall heal." (Job v. 17, 18.) Hence, St.
Paul gloried in his tribulations : " Gloriamur in tribu-
lationibus." (Rom. v. 3.)
3. Fifthly, by convincing us that God alone is able
and willing to relieve us in our miseries, tribulations
remind us of him, and compel us to have recourse to his
mercy. " In their affliction they will rise early to me."
(Oseevi. 1.) Hence, addressing the afflicted, the Lord
said : " Come to me, all you that labour and are bur
dened, and I will refresh you." (Matt. xi. 28.) Hence
he is called " a helper in troubles." (Ps. xlv. 1 .) ' ' When,"
says David, " he slew them, then they sought him, and
they returned." (Ps. Ixxvii. 34.) When the Jews were
afflicted, and were slain by their enemies, they remem
bered the Lord, and returned to him.
4. Sixthly, tribulations enable us to acquire great
merits before God, by giving us opportunities of exer-
cising the virtues of humility, of patience, and of resig
nation to the divine will. The venerable John d'Ayila
used to say, that a single blessed be God: in adversity,
is worth more than a thousand acts in prosperity.
" Take away," says St. Ambrose, " the contests of
the martyrs, and you have taken away their crowns."
(In Luc., c. iv.) * Oh ! what a treasure of merit is
acquired by patiently bearing insults, poverty, and sick
ness ! Insults from men were the great objects of the
desires of the saints, who sought to be despised for the
love of Jesus Christ, and thus to be made like unto
him.
5. How great is the merit gained by bearing with the
inconvenience of poverty. " My God and my all," says
St. Francis of Assisium: in expressing this sentiment,
he enjoyed more of true riches than all the princes of
the Earth. How truly has St. Teresa said, that " the
less we have here, the more we shall enjoy hereafter."
Oh ! how happy is the man who can say from his heart :
My Jesus, thou alone art sufficient for me ! If, says St.
Chrysostom, you esteem yourself unhappy because you
are poor, you are indeed miserable and deserving of
tears ; not because you are poor, but because, being poor,
2G SERMON II.
you do not embrace your poverty, and esteem yourself
happy." " Sane dignus es lachrymis ob hoc, quod mise-
rum te extimas, non ideo quod pauper es." (Serin, ii.,
Epis. ad Phil.)
6. By bearing patiently with the pains of sickness, a
great, and perhaps the greater, part of the crown which
is prepared for us in Heaven is completed. The sick
sometimes complain that in sickness they can do no
thing ; but they err ; for, in their infirmities they
can do all things, by accepting their sufferings with
peace and resignation. " The Cross of Christ," says St.
Chrysostora, " is the key of Paradise." (Com. in Luc. de
vir.)
7. St. Francis de Sales used to say . " To suffer con
stantly for Jesus is the science of the saints ; we shall
thus soon become saints." It is by sufferings that God
proves his servants, and finds them worthy of himself.
" Deus tentavit es, et invenit eos dignos se." (Wis. iii.
5) "Whom," says St. Paul, "the Lord loveth, he
chastiseth; and he scourgeth every son whom he re-
ceiveth." (Ileb. xii. 6.) Hence, Jesus Christ once said
to St. Teresa : " Be assured that the souls dearest to my
Father are those who suffer the greatest afflictions."
Hence Job said : " If we have received good things at
the hand of God, why should we not receive evil ?"
(Job. ii. 10.) If we have gladly received from God the
goods of this Earth, why should we not receive more
cheerfully tribulations, which are far more useful to us
than worldly prosperity ? St. Gregory informs us that,
as flame fanned by the wind increases, so the soul is
made perfect when she is oppressed by tribulations.
" Ignis flatu premitur, ut crescat." (Ep. xxv.)
8. To holy souls the most severe afflictions are the
temptations by which the Devil impels them to offend
God: but they who bear these temptations with patience,
and banish them by turning to God for help, shall
acquire great merit. " And," says St. Paul, " God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that which you are able, but will also make issue with
the temptation that you may be able to bear it."
(1 Cor. x. 13.) God permits us to be molested by
temptations, that, by banishing them, we may gain
ADVANTAGES OF TRIBULATIONS.
27
greater merit. " Blessed," says the Lord, " are they
that mourn, for they shall be comforted. " (Matt. v. 5.)
They are blessed, because, according to the Apostle, our
tribulations are momentary and very light, compared
with the greatness of the glory which they shall obtain
for us for eternity in Heaven. " For that which is at
present momentary and light of our tribulation, worketh
for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of
glory/' (1 Cor. iv. 17.)
9. It is necessary, then, says St. Chrysostom, to bear
tribulations in peace ; for, if you accept them with resig
nation, you shall gain great merit ; but if you submit to
them with reluctance, you shall increase, instead of
diminishing, your misery " Si vero segre feras, neque
calamitatum minorem facies, et majorem reddes pro-
cellam/ ' (Horn. Ixiv., ad Pop.) If we wish to be saved,
we must submit to trials. " Through many tribulations
we must enter into the kingdom of God." (Acts xiv. 21.)
A great servant of God used to say, that Paradise is the
place of the poor, of the persecuted, of the humble and
afflicted. Hence St. Paul says : " Patience is necessary
for you, that, doing the will of God, you may receive
the promise." (Heb. x. 36.) Speaking of the tribulations
of the saints, St. Cyprian asks • " What are they to the
servants of God, whom Paradise invites ?" (Ep, ad
Demetr.) Is it much for those to whom the eternal
goods of Heaven are promised, to embrace the short
afflictions of this life ?
10. In fine, the scourges of Heaven are sent not for
our injury, but for our good. " Let us believe that
these scourges of the Lord, with which, like servants,
we are chastised, have happened for our amendment,
and not for our destruction." (Judith viii. 27.) " God,"
says St. Augustine, " is angry when he does not scourge
the sinner." (In Ps. Ixxxix.) When we see a sinner in
tribulation in this life, we may infer that God wishes to
have mercy on him in the next, and that he exchanges
eternal for temporal chastisement. But miserable the
sinner whom the Lord does not punish in this life !
For those whom he does not chastise here, he treasures
up his wrath, and for them he reserves eternal chastise
ment.
28 SERMON II.
11. " Why," asks the Prophet Jeremy, " doth the
way of the wicked prosper V (xii. 1.) Why, 0 Lord,
do sinners prosper ? To this the same prophet answers :
" Gather them together as sheep for a sacrifice, and
prepare them for the day of slaughter." (Tb. v. 3.) As
on the day of sacrifice the sheep intended for slaughter
are gathered together, so the impious, as victims of
divine wrath, are destined to eternal death. " Destine
them," says Du Hamel, in his commentary on this
passage, " as victims of thy anger on the day of sacri
fice."
12. When, then, God sends us tribulations, let us say
with Job: "I have sinned, and indeed I have offended, and
I have not received what I have deserved." (Job xxxiii.
27.) O Lord, my sins merit far greater chastisement
than that which thou hast inflicted on me. We should
even pray with St. Augustine, " Burn — cut — spare not
in this life, that thou mayest spare for eternity." How
frightful is the chastisement of the sinner of whom the
Lord says : *' Let us have pity on the wicked, but he
will not learn justice." (Is. xxvi. 10.) Let us abstain
from chastising the impious : as long as they remain in
this life they will continue to live in sin, and shall thus
be punished with eternal torments. On this passage St.
Bernard says : " Misericordiam hanc nolo, super omnem
iram miseratio ista." (Serin, xlii., in Cant.) Lord, I do
not wish for such mercy, which is a chastisement that
surpasses all chastisements.
13. The man whom the Lord afflicts in this life has a
certain proof that he is dear to God. " And," said the
angel to Tobias, " because thou wast acceptable to God,
it was necessary that temptations should prove thee."
(Tob. xii. 13.) Hence, St. James pronounces blessed the
man who is afflicted : because after he shall have been
proved by tribulation, he will receive the crown of life."
(Jam. i. 12.)
14. He who wishes to share in the glory of the
saints, must suffer in this life as the saints have suffered.
None of the saints has been esteemed or treated well by
the world— all of them have been despised and perse
cuted. In them have been verified the words of the
Apostle : " All that will live godly in Christ Jesus,
ADVANTAGES OF TRIBULATIONS. 29
shall suffer persecution." (2 Tim. iii. 12.) Hence St.
Augustine said, that they who are unwilling to suffer
persecutions, have not as yet begun to be Christians.
" Si putas non habere persecutiones, nondum csepisti esse
Christianus." (In Ps. Iv.) "When we are in tribulation,
let us be satisfied with the consolation of knowing that
the Lord is then near us and in our company. u The
Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart."
(Ps. xxxiii. 19.) " I am with him in tribulation." (Ps.
xc. 15.)
Second Point. On the manner in which we should
bear tribulations.
15. He who suffers tribulations in this world should,
in the first place, abandon sin, and endeavour to recover
the grace of God ; for as long as he remains in sin, the
merit of all his sufferings is lost. " If," says St. Paul,
" I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not
charity, it profiteth me nothing." (1 Cor. xiii. 3.) If
you suffered all the torments of the martyrs > or bore to
be burned alive, and were not in the state of grace, it
would profit you nothing.
16. But, to those who can suffer with God, and with
resignation for God's sake, all the tribulations shall be a
source of comfort and gladness. " Your sorrow shall be
turned into joy." (John xvi. 20.) Hence, after having
been insulted and beaten by the Jews, the apostles de
parted from the council full of joy, because they had been
maltreated for the love of Jesus Christ. " And _they
indeed went from the presence of the council, rejoicing
that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for
the name of Jesus." (Acts v. 41.) Hence, when God
visits us with any tribulations, we must say with Jesus
Christ : " The chalice which my Father hath given me,
shall I not drink it ?" (John xviii. 11.) It is necessary
to know that every tribulation, though it may come from
men, is sent to us by God.
17. When we are surrounded on all sides with tri
bulations, and know not what to do, we ^must turn to
God, who alone can console us. Thus King Josaphat,
in his distress, said to the Lord : " As we know not
what to do, we can only turn our eyes to thee." (2
SO SERMON II.
Par. xx. 12.) Thus David also in his tribulation had
recourse to God, and God consoled him : " In my
trouble I cried to the Lord, and he heard me." (Ps.
cxix. 1.) We should turn to God, and pray to him, and
never cease to pray till he hears us. " As the eyes of
the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress, so are
our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy
on us." (Ps. cxxii. 2.) We must keep our eyes con
tinually raised to God, and must continue to implore
his aid, until he is moved to compassion for our miseries.
We must have great confidence in the heart of Jesus
Christ, and ought not to imitate certain persons, who
instantly lose courage because they do not feel that
they are heard as soon as they begin to pray. To
them may be applied the words of the Saviour to St.
Peter : "0 thou of little faith ! why didst thou doubt?"
(Matt. xiv. 31.) When the favours which we ask are
spiritual, or can be profitable to our souls, we should
be certain of being heard, provided we persevere in
prayer, and do not lose confidence. " All things
whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you
shall receive, and they shall come unto you." (Mark xi.
24.) In tribulations, then, we should never cease to
hope with confidence that the divine mercy will console
us ; and if our afflictions continue, we must say with
Job : " Although he should kill me, I will trust in
him." (xiii. 15.)
18. Souls of little faith, instead of turning to God in
their tribulations, have recourse to human means, and
thus provoke God's anger, and remain in their miseries.
" Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain
that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he
watcheth in vain that keepeth it." (Ps. cxxvi. 1.) On
this passage St. Augustine writes : " Ipse aedificat, ipse
intellectum aperit, ipse ad finem applicat sensum ves-
trum : et tamen laboramus et nos tanquam operarii, sed
nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem," etc. All good — all
help must come from the Lord. Without him creatures
can give us no assistance.
19. Of this the Lord complains by the mouth of his
prophet : " Is not," he says, " the Lord in Sion ? . . .Why
then have they provoked me to wrath with their idols. . .
ADVANTAGES OF TRIBULATIONS. 31
Is there no balm in Galaad ? or is there no physician
there ? Why then is not the wound of the daughter of
my people closed?" (Jer. viii. 19, 22.) Am I not in Sion?
Why then do men provoke me to anger by recurring to
creatures, which they convert into idols by placing in
them all their hopes ? Do they seek a remedy for their
miseries ? Why do they not seek it in Galaad, a moun
tain full of balsamic ointments, which signify the divine
mercy ? There they can find the physician and the remedy
of all their evils. Why then, says the Lord, do your
wounds remain open ? Why are they not healed ? It
is because you have recourse not to me, but to creatures,
and because you confide in them, and not in me.
20. In another place the Lord says : " Am I become
a wilderness to Israel, or a late ward springing land ?
Why then have my people said : We are revolted ; we
will come to thee no more ?. .But my people have for
gotten me days without number." (Jer. ii. 31, 32.) God
complains, and says : " Why, my children, do you say
that you will have recourse to me no more ? Am I
become to you a barren land, which gives no fruit, or
gives it too late ? Is it for this reason that you have so
long forgotten me ? By these words he manifests to us
his desire that we pray to him, in order that he may be
able to give us his graces ; and he also gives us to under
stand that when we pray to him, he is not slow, but
instantly begins to assist us.
21. The Lord, says David, is not asleep when we turn
to his goodness, and ask the graces which are profitable
to our souls : he hears us immediately, because he is
anxious for our welfare. "Behold, he shall neither
slumber nor sleep that keepeth Israel." (Ps. cxx. 4.)
When we pray for temporal favours, St. Bernard says
that God " will give what we ask, or something more
useful." He will grant us the grace which we desire,
whenever it is profitable to our souls ; or he will give us
a more useful grace, such as the grace to resign ourselves
to the divine will, and to suffer with patience our tribu
lations, which shall merit a great increase of glory in
Heaven.
[Act of sorrow and amendment, prayer to Jesus
and Mary.]
32 SERMON* II T.
SERMON III.— THIRD SUNDAY OP ADVENT.
On the means necessary for salvation.
tf I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness : Make straight the
way of the Lord."— JOHN i. 23.
ALL would wish to bo saved and to enjoy the glory of
Paradise ; but to gain Heaven, it is necessary to walk
in the straight road that leads to eternal bliss. This
road is the observance of the divine commands. Hence,
in his preaching, the Baptist exclaimed: "Make straight
the way of the Lord." In order to be able to walk
always in the way of the Lord, without turning to tho
right or to the left, it is necessary to adont the proper
means. These means are, first, diffidence in ourselves ;
secondly, confidence in God ; thirdly, resistance to temp
tations.
First Means. Diffidence in ourselves.
1. " With fear and trembling," says the Apostle,
" work out your salvation." (Phil. ii. 12.) To secure
eternal life, we must be always penetrated with fear,
we must be always afraid of ourselves (with fear and
trembling), and distrust altogether our own strength ;
for, without the divine grace we can do nothing.
" Without me," says Jesus Christ, " you can do
nothing." We can do nothing for the salvation of our
own souls. St. Paul tells us, that of ourselves we are
not capable of even a good thought. " Not that we are
sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves,
but our sufficiency is from God." (2 Cor. iii. 5.) With
out the aid of the Holy Ghost, we cannot even pronounce
the name of Jesus so as to deserve a reward. " And no
one can say the Lord Jesus, but by the Holy Ghost/'
(1 Cor. xii. 8.)
2. Miserable the man who trusts to himself in the
way of God. St. Peter experienced the sad effects of
self-confidence. Jesus Christ said to him : " In this
night, before cock-crow, thou wilt deny me thrice."
(Matt. xxvi. 31.) Trusting in his own strength and his
MEANS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION. 33
good will, the Apostle replied : " Yea, though I should
die with thee, I will not deny thee." (v. 35.) What was
the result ? On the night on which Jesus Christ had
been taken, Peter was reproached in the court of
Caiphas with heing one of the disciples of the Saviour.
The reproach filled him with fear : he thrice denied
his Master, and swore that he had never known
him. Humility and diffidence in ourselves are so
necessary for us, that God permits us sometimes to
fall into sin, that, by our fall, we may acquire humi
lity arid a knowledge of our own weakness. Through
want of humility David also fell : hence, after his sin,
lie said : " Before I was humbled, I offended." (Ps.
cxviii. 67.)
3. Hence the Holy Ghost pronounces blessed the man
who is always in fear : " Blessed is the man who is
always fearful." (Prov. xxviii. 14.) He who is afraid
of falling distrusts his own strength, avoids as much as
possible all dangerous occasions, and recommends him
self often to God, and thus preserves his soul from sin.
But the man who is not fearful, but full of self-
confidence, easily exposes himself to the danger of sin :
he seldom recommends himself to God, and thus he falls.
Let us imagine a person suspended over a great preci
pice by a cord held by another. Surely he would con
stantly cry out to the person who supports him : Hold
fast, hold fast ; for God's sake, do not let go. We are
all in danger of falling into the abyss of all crime, if
God does not support us. Hence we should constantly
beseech him to keep his hands over us, and to succour
us in all dangers.
4. In rising from bed, St. Philip Neri used to say
every morning : 0 Lord, keep thy hand this day over
Philip ; if thou do not, Philip will betray thee. And
one day, as he walked through the city, reflecting on
his own misery, he frequently said, / despair, I despair.
A Certain religious who heard him, believing that the
saint was really tempted to despair, corrected him, and
encouraged him to hope in the divine mercy. But the
saint replied : "I despair of myself, but I trust in God."
Hence, during this life, in which we are exposed to so
many dangers of losing God, it is necessary for us to
34 SERMON III.
live always in great diffidence of ourselves, and full of
confidence in God.
Second Means. Confidence in God.
5. St. Francis de Sales says, that the mere attention
to self- diffidence on account of our own weakness, would
only render us pusillanimous, and expose us to great
danger of abandoning ourselves to a tepid life, or even
to despair. The more we distrust our own strength, the
more we should confide in the divine mercy. This is a
balance, says the same saint, in which the more the scale
of confidence in God is raised, the more the scale of diffi
dence in ourselves descends.
6. Listen to me, O sinners who have had the mis-
fo^tune of having hitherto offended God, and of being
condemned to hell : if the Devil tells you that but little
hope remains of your eternal salvation, answer him in
the words of the Scripture : " No one hath hoped in the
Lord, and hath been confounded.'' (Eccl. ii. 11.) No
sinner has ever trusted in God, and has been lost. Make,
then, a firm purpose to sin no more ; abandon your
selves into the arms of the divine goodness ; and rest
assured that God will have mercy on you, and save you
from Hell. " Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall
sustain thee." (Ps. liv. 23.) The Lord, as we read in
Blosius, one day said to St. Gertrude : " He who confides
in me, does me such violence that I cannot but hear all
his petitions/'
7. " But," says the Prophet Isaias, " they that hope
in the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall take
wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; they
shall walk, and not faint." (xl. 31.) They who place
their confidence in God shall renew their strength ; they
shall lay aside their own weakness, and shall acquire the
strength of God ; they shall fly like eagles in the way of
the Lord, without fatigue and without ever _ failing.
David says, that " mercy shall encompass him that
hopeth in the Lord." (Ps. xxxi. 10.) He that hopes in
the Lord shall be encompassed by his mercy, so that he
shall never be abandoned by it.
8. St. Cyprian says, that the divine mercy is an inex
haustible fountain. They who bring vessels of the
MEANS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION. 35
greatest .confidence, draw from it the greatest graces
Hence the Royal Prophet has said: "Let thy mercy'
Lord be upon us, as we have hoped in thee." (Ps!
xxxii. 22.) Whenever the Devil terrifies us by placing
before our eyes the great difficulty of persevering in
the grace of God in spite of all the dangers and sinful
occasions of this life, let us, without answering him,
raise our eyes to God, and hope that in his goodness he
will certainly send us help to resist every attack. « I
have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence
help shall come to me." (Ps. cxx. 1.) And when the
enemy represents to us our weakness, let us say with the
™ " YPV • Ca?Qd? aLtHngS in him who strengthened
me. (Phil. iv. 13 ) Of myself I can do nothing ; but
E trust in God, that by his grace I shall be able to do all
tmngs.
9. Hence, in the midst of the greatest dangers of per
dition to which we are exposed, we should continually
turn to Jesus Christ, and. throwing ourselves into the
hands of him who redeemed us by his death, should say :
Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast re
deemed me, O Lord, the God of truth." (Ps. xxx. 6.)
Ihis prayer should be said with great confidence of
obtaining eternal life, and to it we should add: "In
thee, O Lord, I have hoped ; let me not be confounded
for ever/' (Ps. xxx. 1.)
Third Means. Ptesistance to temptations.
10. It is true that when we have recourse to God with
confidence in dangerous temptations, he assists us ; but,
in certain very urgent occasions, the Lord sometimes
wishes that we cooperate, and do violence to ourselves,
to resist temptations. On such occasions, it will not be
enough to have recourse to God once or twice ; it will
5 necessary to multiply prayers, and frequently to pros-
*;? °Sselves' and send up our sighs before the image
of the Blessed Virgin and the crucifix, crying out with
tears: Mary, my mother, assist me ; Jesus, my Saviour,
save me, lor thy mercy's sake— do not abandon me, do
not permit me to lose thee.
11. Let us keep in mind the words of the Gospel:
How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that
36 SERMON 111.
leadeth to life : and few there are that find it." (Matt.
vii. 14.) The way to Heaven is strait and narrow: they
who wish to arrive at that place of hliss by walking in
the paths of pleasure shall be disappointed: and^ there
fore few reach it, because few are willing to use violence
to themselves in resisting temptations. :^The kingdom
of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it
away." (Matt. xi. 12.) In explaining this passage, a
certain writer says : " Vi queritur, invaditur, occupatur."
It must be sought and obtained by violence: he who
wishes to obtain it without inconvenience, or by leading
a soft and irregular life, shall not acquire it— he shall
be excluded from it.
12. To save their souls, some of the saints have
retired into the cloister ; some have confined themselves
in a cave ; others have embraced torments and death.
" The violent bear it away " Some complain of their
want of confidence in God ; but they do not perceive
that their diffidence arises from the weakness of their
resolution to serve God. St. Teresa used to say: " Of
irresolute souls the Devil has no fear/' And the Wise
Man has declared, that "desires kill the slothful.'*
(Prov. xxi. 25.) Some would wish to be saved and to
become saints, but never resolve to adopt the means of
salvation, such as meditation, the frequentation of the
sacraments, detachment from creatures ; or, if they
adopt these means, they soon give them up. In a word,
they are satisfied with fruitless desires, and thus continue
to live in enmity with God, or at least in tepidity, which
in the end leads them to the loss of God. Thus in them
are verified the words of the Holy Ghost, " desires kill
the slothful."
13. If, then, we wish to save our souls, and to become
saints, we must make a strong resolution not only in
general to give ourselves to God, but also in particular
to adopt the proper means, and never to abandon them
after having once taken them up. Hence we must
never cease to pray to Jesus Christ, and to His holy
Mother for holy perseverance.
LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR US. 37
SERMON IV.— FOUETH SUNDAY OF ADYENT.
On the love of Jesus Christ for us, and on our obliga
tions to love him.
*' And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." — LUKE iii. 6.
THE Saviour of the world, whom, according to the pre
diction of the prophet Isaias, men were one day to see
on this Earth — " and all flesh shall see the salvation of
God," — has already come. "We have not only seen him
conversing among men, but we have also seen him suffer
ing and dying for the love of us. Let us, then, this
morning consider the love which we owe to Jesus Christ
at least through gratitude for the love which he bears to
us. In the first point we shall consider the greatness of
the love which Jesus Christ has shown to us ; and in
the second we shall see the greatness of our obligations
to love him.
First Point. On the great love which Jesus Christ
has shown to us.
1 . " Christ," says St. Augustine, " came on Earth
that men might know how much God loves them." He
has come, and to show the immense love which this God
bears us, he has given himself entirely to us, by aban
doning himself to all the pains of this life, and afterwards
to the scourges, to the thorns, and to all the sorrows and
insults which he suffered in his passion, and by offering
himself to die, abandoned by all, on the infamous tree
of the cross. " Who loved me, and delivered himself
for me." (Gal. ii. 20.)
2. Jesus Christ could save us without dying on the
cross, and without suffering. One drop of his blood
would be sufficient for our redemption. Even a prayer
offered to his Eternal Father would be sufficient ; be
cause, on account of his divinity, his prayer would be
of infinite value, and would therefore be sufficient for
the salvation of the world, and of a thousand worlds.
" But/' says St. Chrysostom, or another ancient author,
38 SERMON IV.
" what was sufficient for redemption was not sufficient
for love." To show how much he loved us, he wished
to shed not only a part of his blood, but the entire of it,
by dint of torments. This may be inferred from the
words which he used on the night before his death:
" This is my blood of the new testament, which shall be
shed for many.'7 (Matt. xxvi. 28.) The words shall be
shed show that, in his passion, the blood of Jesus Christ
was poured forth even to the last drop. Hence, when
after death his side was opened with a spear, blood and
water came forth, as if what then flowed was all that
remained of his blood. Jesus Christ, then, though he
could save us without suffering, wished to embrace a life
of continual pain, and to suffer the cruel and ignominious
death of the cross. " He humbled himself, becoming
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil.
ii. 8.)
3. " Greater love than this no man hath, that a man
lay down his life for his friends." (John xv. 13.) To
show his love for us, what more could the Son of God
do than die for us ? What more can one man do for
another than give his life for him ? " Greater love than
this no man hath." Tell me, my brother, if one of your
servants — if the vilest man on this Earth had done for
you what Jesus Christ has done in dying through pain
on a cross, could you remember his love for you, and not
love him ?
4. St. Francis of Assisium appeared to be unable to
think of anything but the passion of Jesus Christ ; and,
in thinking of it, he continually shed tears, so that by
his constant weeping he became nearly blind. Being
found one day weeping and groaning at the foot of the
crucifix, he was asked the cause of his tears and lamen
tations. He replied : " I weep over the sorrows and
ignominies of my Lord. And what makes me weep still
more is, that the men for whom he has suffered so much
live in forgetfulness of him,"
5. O Christian, should a doubt ever enter your mind
that Jesus Christ loves you, raise your eyes and look at
him hanging on the cross. Ah ! says St. Thomas of
Villanova, the cross to which he is nailed, the internal
and external sorrows which he endures, and the cruel
LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR US. 39
death which he suffers for you, are convincing proofs of
the love which he bears you: "Testis crux, testes dolores,
testis amara mors quam pro te sustinuit." (Cone. 3.) Do
you not, says St. Bernard, hear the voice of that cross,
and of those wounds, crying out to make you feel that
he truly loves you ? " Clamat crux, clamat vulnus,
quod vere dilexit."
6. St. Paul says that the love which Jesus Christ has
shown in condescending to suffer so much for our salva
tion, should excite us to his love more powerfully than
the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the painful
journey to Calvary, the agony of three hours on the
cross, the buffets, the spitting in his face, and all the
other injuries which the Saviour endured. According to
the Apostle, the love which Jesus has shown us not only
obliges, but in a certain manner forces and constrains us,
to love a God who has loved us so much. " For the
charity of Christ presseth us." ('2 Cor. v. 14.) On this
text St. Francis de Sales says : " We know that Jesus
the true God has loved us so as to suffer death, and even
the death of the cross, for our salvation. Does not such
love put our hearts as it were under a press, to force from
them love by a violence which is stronger in proportion
as it is more amiable ?
7. So great was the love which inflamed the ena
moured heart of Jesus, that he not only wished to die
for our redemption, but during his whole life he sighed
ardently for the day on which he should suffer death for
the love of us. Hence, during his life, Jesus used to
say : " I have a baptism wherewith I am to be baptized ;
and how am I straitened until it be accomplished."
(Luke xii. 50.) In my passion I am to be baptized with
the baptism of my own blood, to wash away the sins of
men. " And how am I straitened !" How, says St.
Ambrose, explaining this passage, am I straitened by the
desire of the speedy arrival of the day of my death ?
Hence, on the night before his passion he said : " With
desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you before I
suffer." (Luke xxii. ]5.)
8. " We have," says St. Lawrence Justinian, " seen
wisdom become foolish through an excess of love." We
have, he says, seen the Son of God become as it were a
40 SERMON IV.
fool, through, the excessive love which he bore to men.
Such, too, was the language of the Gentiles when they
heard the apostles preaching that Jesus Christ suffered
death for the love of men. " But we," says St. Paul,
" preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stum
bling block, unto the Gentiles foolishness." (1 Cor. i. 23.)
Who, they exclaimed, can believe that a God, most
happy in himself, and who stands in need of no one,
should take human flesh and die for the love of men,
who are his creatures ? This would be to believe that a
God became foolish for the love of men. " It appears
folly," says St. Gregory, " that the author of Life should
die for men." (Horn vi.) But, whatever infidels may
say or think, it is of faith that the Sou of God has shed
all his blood for the love of us, to wash away the sins of
our souls. " Who hath loved us, and washed us from
our sins in his own blood." (Apoc. i. 5.) Hence, the
saints were struck dumb with astonishment at the con
sideration of the love of Jesus Christ. At the sight of
the crucifix, St. Francis of Paul could do nothing but
exclaim, 0 love ! 0 love ! 0 love !
9. " Having loved his own who were in the world,
he loved them unto the end/' (John xiii. 1.) This
loving Lord was not content with showing us his love by
dying on the cross for our salvation ; but, at the end of
his life, he wished to leave us his own very flesh for the
food of our souls, that thus he might unite himself
entirely to us. " Take ye and eat, this is my body."
(Matt. xxvi. 26.) But of this gift and this excess of
love we shall speak at another time, in treating of the
most holy sacrament of the altar. Let us pass to the
second point.
Second Point. On the greatness of our obligations to
love Jesus Christ.
10. He who loves wishes to be loved. u When,"
says St. Bernard, " God loves, he desires nothing else
than to be loved." (Ser. Ixxxiii., in Cant.) The Redeemer
said: " I am come to casJt^we^on the Earth, and what
will I but that it is kiiidfeS^^aike xii. 49.) I, says
Jesus Christ, came or/eafrth to lightVup the fire of divine
love in the hearts of mepi f£8u<Hvhac will I but that it
LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR IIS. 41
be kindled ?" God wishes nothing else from us than to
be loved. Hence the holy Church prays in the following
words : " We beseech thee, 0 Lord, that thy Spirit may
inflame us with that fire which Jesus Christ cast upon
the Earth, and which he vehemently wished to be
kindled.'* Ah ! what have not the saints, inflamed with
this fire, accomplished ! They have abandoned all
things — delights, honours, the purple and the sceptre —
that they might burn with this holy fire. But you will
ask what are you to do, that you too may be inflamed
with the love of Jesus Christ. Imitate David: " In my
meditation a fire shall flame out/' (Ps. xxxviii). Medi
tation is the blessed furnace in which the holy fire of
divine love is kindled. Make mental prayer every day,
meditate on the passion of Jesus Christ, and doubt not
but you too shall burn with this blessed flame.
11. St. Paul says, that Jesus Christ died for us to
make himself the master of the hearts of all. " To this
end Christ died and rose again, that he might be Lord
both of the dead and of the living." (Bom. xiv. 9.) He
wished, says the Apostle, to give his life for all men,
without a single exception, that not even one should live
any longer to himself, but that all might live only to
that God who condescended to die for them. " And
Christ died for all, that they also who live may not now
live to themselves, but unto him who died for them."
(2 Cor. v. 15.)
12. Ah! to correspond to the love of this God, it
would be necessary that another God should die for him,
as Jesus Christ died for us. 0 ingratitude of men ! A
God has condescended to give his life for their salvation,
and they will not even think on what he has even done
for them ! Ah ! if each of you thought frequently on
the sufferings of the Redeemer., and on the love which
he has shown to us in his passion, how could you but
love him with your whole hearts? To him who sees
with a lively faith the Son of God suspended by three
nails on an infamous gibbet, every wound of Jesus
speaks and says: " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God."
Love, 0 man, thy Lord and thy God, who has loved
thee so intensely. "Who can resist such tender expres
sions ? " The wounds of Jesus Christ," says St. Bona-
42 SERMON IV.
venture, " wound the hardest hearts, and inflame frozen
souls." „
13. " Oh ! if you knew the mystery of the cross !
said St. Andrew the Apostle to the tyrant by whom he
was tempted to deny Jesus Christ. 0 tyrant, if you
knew the love which your Saviour has shown you by
dying on the cross for your salvation, instead of tempt
ing me, you would abandon all the goods of this Earth
to give yourself to the love of Jesus Christ.
14. I conclude, my most beloved brethren, by recom
mending you henceforth to meditate every day on the
passion of Jesus Christ. I shall be content, if you daily
devote to this meditation a quarter of an hour. Let each
at least procure a crucifix, let him keep it in^ his room,
and from time to time give a glance at it, saying: "Ah!
my Jesus, thou hast died for me, and I do not love thee.
Had a person suffered for a friend injuries, buffets, and
prisons, he would be greatly pleased to find that they
were remembered and spoken of with gratitude. But he
should be greatly displeased if the friend for whom they
had been borne, were unwilling to think or hear of his
sufferings. Thus frequent meditation on his passion is
very pleasing to our Redeemer ; but the neglect of ^it
greatly provokes his displeasure. Oh ! how^ great will
be the consolation which we shall receive in our last
moments from the sorrows and death of Jesus Christ, if,
during life, we shall have frequently meditated on them
with love ! Let us not wait till others, at the hour of
death, place in our hands the crucifix ; let us not wait
till they remind us of all that Jesus Christ sufiered for
us. Let us, during life, embrace Jesus Christ crucif
let us keep ourselves always united to him, that we may
live and die with him. He who practises devotion to
the passion of our Lord, cannot but be devoted to the
dolours of Mary, the remembrance of which will be to us
a source of great consolation at the hour of death,
how profitable and sweet the meditation of Jesus on the
cross ! Oh ! how happy the death of him who dies in the
embraces of Jesus crucified, accepting death with cheer,
fulness for the love of that God who has died lor the
love of us 1
IN WHAT TRUE WISDOM CONSISTS. 43
SERMON V.— SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE
OF THE NATIVITY.
In what true wisdom consists.
" Behold, this CHILD is set for the fall and for the resurrection of
many in Israel." — LUKE ii. 34.
SUCH was the language of holy Simeon when he had the
consolation to hold in his hands the infant Jesus. Among
other things which he then foretold, he declared that
" this child was set for the fall and for the resurrection
of many in Israel." In these words he extols the lot of
the saints, who, after this life, shall rise to a life of
immortality in the kingdom of bliss, and he deplores the
misfortune of sinners, who, for the transitory and mise
rable pleasures of this world, bring upon themselves
eternal ruin and perdition. But, notwithstanding the
greatness of his own misery, the unhappy sinner, reflect
ing only on the enjoyment of present goods, calls the
saints fools, because they seek to live in poverty, in humi
liation, and self-denial. But a day will come when
sinners shall see their errors, and shall say. " We fools
esteemed their life madness, and their end without
honour." (Wis. v. 4.) We fools; behold how they
shall confess that they themselves have been truly fools.
Let us examine in what true wisdom consists, and we
shall see, in the first point, that sinners are truly foolish,
and, in the second, that the saints are truly wise.
First Point. Sinners are truly foolish.
1. What greater folly can be conceived than to have
the power of being the friends of God, and to wish to
be his enemies ? Their living in enmity with God
makes the life of sinners unhappy in this world, and
purchases for them an eternity of misery hereafter
St. Augustine relates that two courtiers of the emperor
entered a monastery of hermits, and that one of them
began to read the life of St. Anthony. " He read/'
says the saint, " and his heart was divested of the
SERMON V.
world." He read, and, in reading, his affections were
detached from the Earth. Turning to his companion
he exclaimed : " What do we seek ? The friendship of
the emperor is the most we can hope for. And through
how many perils shall we arrive at still greater danger ?
Should we obtain his friendship, how long shall it last ?"
Friend, said he, fools that we are, what do we seek ?
Can we expect more in this life, by serving the emperor,
than to gain his friendship ? And should we, after many
dangers, succeed in making him our friend, we shall
expose ourselves to greater danger of eternal perdition.
What difficulties must we encounter in order to become
the friend of Caesar I " But, if I wish, I can in a moment
become the friend of God." I can acquire his friend
ship by endeavouring to recover his grace. His divine
grace is that infinite treasure which makes us worthy
of his friendship. " For she is an infinite treasure to
men, which they that use become the friends of God "
(Wis. vii. 14.)
2. The Gentiles believe it impossible for a creature to
become ^the friend of God ; for, as St. Jerome says,
friendship makes friends equal. "Amicitia pares ac-
cipit, aut pares facit." But Jesus Christ has declared,
that if we observe his commands we shall be his friends.
' You are my friends, if you do the things I command."*
(John xv. 14.)
3. How great then is the folly of sinners, who, though
they have it in their power to enjoy the friendship of
God, wish to live in enmity with him ! The Lord does
not hate any of his creatures: he does not hate the tiger,
the viper, or the toad. " For thou lovest all things that
are, and hatest none of the things which thou hast
made." (Wis. xi. 25.) But he necessarily hates sinners.
" Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity." (Ps. v. 7.)
God cannot but hate sin, which is his enemy and diame
trically opposed to his will ; and therefore, in hating
sin, he necessarily hates the sinner who is united with
his sin. " But to God the wicked and his wickedness
are hateful alike.'"' (Wis. xiv. 9.)
4. The sinner is guilty of folly in leading a life
opposed to the end for which he was created. God has
not created us, nor does he preserve our lives, that we
IN WHAT TRUE WISDOM CONSISTS. 45
may labour to acquire riches or earthly honours, or that
we may indulge in amusements, but that we may love
and serve him in this world, in order to love and enjoy
him for eternity in the next. " And the end life ever
lasting." (Rom. vi. 22.) Thus the present life, as St.
Gregory says, is the way by which we must reach Para
dise, our true country. " In the present life we are, as
it were, on the road by which we journey to our
country." (St. Greg. hom. xi. in Evan.)
5. But the misfortune of the greater part of mankind
is, that instead of following the way of salvation, they
foolishly walk in the road to perdition,. Some have a
passion for earthly riches ; and, for a vile interest, they
lose the immense goods of Paradise : others have a pas
sion for honours ; and, for a momentary applause, they
lose their right to be kings in Heaven : others have a
passion for sensual pleasures ; and, foi? transitory de
lights, they lose the grace of God, and are condemned
to° burn for ever in a prison of fire. Miserable souls !
if, in punishment of a certain sin, their hand was to be
burned with a red-hot iron, or if they were to be shut
up for ten years in a dark prison, they certainly would
abstain from it. And do they not know that, in chas
tisement of their sins, they shall be condemned to remain
for ever in Hell, where their bodies, buried in fire, shall
burn for all eternity? Some, says St. John Chry-
sostom (Hom. de recup. laps?), to save the body, choose
to destroy the soul ; but, do they not know that, m
losing the soul, their bodies shall be condemned to
eternal torments ? " If we neglect the soul, we cannot
save the body"
6. In a word, sinners lose their reason, and imitate
brute animals, that follow the instinct of < nature, and
seek carnal pleasures without ever reflecting on their
lawfulness or unlawfulness. But to act in this manner
is, according to St. Chrysostom, to act not like a man,
but like a beast. " Hominem ilium dicimus" says the
saint/' "qui imaginem hominis salvam retinet : qua
autem est imago hominis 1 Rationalem esse" To be men
we must be rational: that is, we must act, not according
to the sensual appetite, but according to the dictates ol
reason. If God gave to beasts the use of reason, and it
SERMON V.
they acted according to its rules, we should say that they
acted like men. And it must, on the other hand, be
said, that the man whose conduct is agreeable to the
senses, but contrary to reason, acts like a beast. He
who follows the dictates of reason, provides for the
future. "Oh! that they would be wise, and would
understand, and would provide for their last end."
(Deuter. xxxii. 29.) He looks to the future— that is, to
the account he must render at the hour of death, after
which he shall be doomed to Hell or to Heaven, accord
ing to his merits, " Non est sapiens/' says St. Bernard,
" qui sibi non est." (Lib. de consid.)
7. Sinners think only of the present, but regard not
the end for which they were created. But what will it
profit them to gain all things if they lose their last end,
which alone can make them happy. " But one thing
is necessary." (Luke x. 42.) To attain our end is the
only thing necessary for us : if we lose it, all is lost.
What is this end ? It is eternal life. " Finem vero
vitam seternam." During life, sinners care but little
for the attainment of their end. Each day brings them
nearer to death and to eternity; but they know not
their destination. Should a pilot who is asked whither
he is going, answer that he did not know, would not all,
says St. .Augustine, cry out that he was bringing the
vessel to destruction ? " Fac hominem perdidisse quo
tendit, et dicatur ei : quo is ? et dicat, nescio : nonne
iste navem ad naufragium perducet ?" The saint then
adds : " Talis est qui currit prater viam." Such are
the wise of the world, who know how to acquire wealth
and honours, and to indulge in every kind of amuse
ment,' but who know not how to save their souls. How
miserable the rich glutton, who, though able to lay up
riches and to live splendidly, was, after death, buried
in Hell ! How miserable Alexander the Great, who,
after gaining so many kingdoms, was condemned to
eternal torments ? How great the folly of Henry the
Eighth, who rebelled against the Church, but seeing at
the hour of death that his soul should be lost, cried out
in despair: " Friends, we have lost all !" O God, how
many others now weep in Hell, and exclaim : " What
hath pride profited us? or what advantage hath the
IN WHAT TRUE WISDOM CONSISTS. 47
toasting of riches brought us ? All those things are
passed away like a shadow." (Wis. v. 8.) In the world
we made a great figure — we enjoyed abundant riches
and honours; and now all is passed away like a shadow,
and nothing remains for us but to suffer and weep for
eternity. St. Augustine says, that the happiness which
sinners enjoy in this life is their greatest misfortune,
" Nothing is more calamitous than the felicity of sinners,
by which their perverse will, like an internal enemy, is
strengthened." (Ep. v. ad Marcellin.)
8. In fine, the words of Solomon are fulfilled with
regard to all who neglect their salvation : " Mourning
taketh hold of the end of joy." (Prov. xiv. 13.) All
their pleasures, honours, and greatness, end in eternal
sorrow and wailing. " Whilst I was yet beginning, he
cut me off." (Is. xxxviii. 12.) Whilst they are laying
the foundation of their hopes of realizing a fortune,
death comes, and, cutting the thread of life, deprives
them of all their possessions, and sends them to Hell to
burn for ever in a pit of fire. What greater folly can
be conceived, than to wish to be transformed from the
friend of God into the slave of Lucifer, and from the
heir of Paradise to become, by sin, doomed to Hell ?
For, the moment a Christian commits a mortal sin, his
name is written among the number of the damned ! St.
Francis de Sales said that, if the angels were capable of
weeping, they would do nothing else than shed tears at
the sight of the destruction which a Christian who com
mits mortal sin brings upon himself.
9. Oh ! how great is the folly of sinners, who, by
living in sin, lead a life of misery and discontent ! All
the goods of this world cannot content the heart of
man, which has been created to love God, and can find
no peace out of God. What are all the grandeurs and
all the pleasures of this world but "vanity of vanities'!"
(Eccl. i. 2.) What are they but " vanity and vexation of
spirit?" (Ibid. iv. 16.) Earthly goods are, according
to Solomon, who had experience of them, _ vanity of
vanities ; that is mere vanities, lies, and deceits. They
are also a " vexation of spirit :" they not only do not
content, but they even afflict the soul ; and the more
abundantly they are possessed, the greater the anguish
43 SERMOX V.
which they produce. Sinners hope to find peace in their
sins ; but what peace can they enjoy ? " There is no
peace to the wicked, saith the Lord." (Is. xlviii. 22.) I
abstain from saying more at present on the unhappy life
of sinners : I shall speak of it in another place. At
present, it is enough for you to know that God gives
peace to the souls who love him, and not to those who
despise him. Instead of seeking to be the friends of
God, sinners wish to be the slaves of Satan, who is a
cruel and merciless tyrant to all who submit to his yoke.
" Crudelis est et non miserebitur." (Jer. vi. 23.) And
if he promises delights, he does it, as St. Cyprian says,
not for our welfare, but that we may be the companions
of his torments in hell : " Ut habeat socios pccna3, socios
gehenna)."
Second Point. The saints are truly wise.
10. Let us be persuaded that the truly wise are those
who know how to love God and to gain Heaven. Happy
the man to whom God has given the science of the saints.
"Dedit illi scientiam sanctorum/' (Wis. x. 10.) Oh!
how sublime the science which teaches us to know how
to love God and to save our souls ! Happy, says St.
Augustine, is the man " ^uho knows God, although he is
ignorant of other things." They who know God, the
love which he merits, and how to love him, stand not in
need of any other knowledge. They are wiser than those
who are masters of many sciences, but know not how to
love God. Brother Egidius, of the order of St. Francis,
once said to St. Bonaventure : Happy you, 0 Father
Bonayenture, who are so learned, and who, by your
learning, can become more holy than I can, who am a
poor ignorant man. Listen, replied the saint : if an old
woman knows how to love God better than I do, she is
more learned and more holy than I am. At hearing this,
Brother Egidius exclaimed': " 0 poor old woman ! poor
old woman ! Father Bonaventure says that, if you love
God more than he does, you can surpass him in sanctity."
11. This excited the envy of St. Augustine, and
made him ashamed of himself. " Surgunt indocti," he
exclaimed, " et rapiunt coelum." Alas ! the ignorant
rise up, and bear away the kingdom of Heaven ; and
IN WHAT TRUE WISDOM CONSISTS. 49
what are we, the learned of this world, doing ? Oh !
how many of the rude and illiterate are saved, because,
though unable to read, they know how to love God ; and
how many of the wise of the world are damned ! Oh !
truly wise were St. John of God, St. Felix of the order
of St. Capuchins, and St. Paschal, who were poor lay
Franciscans, and unacquainted with human sciences, but
learned in the science of the saints. But the wonder is,
that, though worldlings themselves are fully persuaded
of this truth, and constantly extol the merit of those who
retire from the world to live only to God, still they act
as if they believed it not.
12. Tell me, brethren, to which class do you wish to
belong — to the wise of the world, or to the wise of God?
Before you make a choice, St. Chrysostom advises you
to go to the graves of the dead ! " Prqficiscamur ad
sepulchral Oh ! how eloquently do the sepulchres of
the dead teach us the science of the saints and the vanity
of all earthly goods ! " For my part," said the saint,
" I see nothing but rottenness, bones, and worms/' As
if he said : Among these skeletons I cannot distinguish
the noble, the rich, or the learned ; I see that they have
all become dust and rottenness : thus all their greatness
and glory have passed away like a dream.
13. What then must we do ? Behold the advice of
St. Paul : " This, therefore, I say, brethren : the time
is short : it remaineth that . . . they that use this world
BE as if they used it not ; for the fashion of this world
passeth away." (1 Cor. vii. 29-31.) This world is a
scene which shall pass away and end very soon . " The
time is short." During the days of life that remain, let
us endeavour to live like men who are wise, not accord
ing to the world, but according to God, by attending to
the sanctification of our souls, and by adopting the means
of salvation ; by flying dangerous occasions ; by practis
ing prayer ; joining some pious sodality ; frequenting
the sacraments ; reading every day a spiritual book ;
and by daily hearing Mass, if it be in our power ; or, at
least, by visiting Jesus in the holy sacrament of the
altar, and some image of the most holy Mary. Thus
we shall be truly wise, and shall be happy for time and
eternity.
50 SERMON VI.
SERMON VI.— MALICE OF MORTAL SIN.
" Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.1' — LUKE ii. 48.
MOST holy Mary lost her Son for three days : during
that time she wept continually for having lost sight of
Jesus, and did not cease to seek after him till she found
him. How then does it happen that so many sinners
not only lose sight of Jesus, hut even lose his divine
grace ; and instead of weeping for so great a loss, sleep
in peace, and make no effort to recover so great^a bless
ing ? This arises from their not feeling what it is to lose
God by sin. Some say : I commit this sin, not to lose
God, but to enjoy this pleasure, to possess the property
of another, or to take revenge of an enemy. They who
speak such language show that they do not ^ understand
the malice of mortal sin. What is mortal sin ?
First Point. It is a great contempt shown to God.
Second Point. It is a great offence offered to God.
First Point. Mortal sin is a great contempt shown
to God.
1. The Lord calls upon Heaven and Earth to detest
the ingratitude of those who commit mortal sin, after
they had been created by him, nourished with his blood,
and exalted to the dignity of his adopted children.
" Hear, O ye Heavens, and give ear, 0 Earth ; for the
Lord hath spoken. I have brought up children _ and
exalted them ; but they have despised me." (Isa. i. 2.)
Who is this God whom sinners despise ? ; He is a God
of infinite majesty, before whom all the kings of the
Earth and all the blessed in Heaven are less than a drop
of water or a grain of sand. As a drop of a bucket, . . .
as a little dust/' (Isa. xl. 15.) In a word, such is the
majesty of God, that in his presence all creatures are as
if they did not exist. " All nations are before him as
if they had no being at all." (Ibid. xl. 17.) And what
is man, who insults him? St. Bernard answers: " Saccus
vermium, cibus vermium." A heap of worms, the food
MALICE OF MORTAL SIX.
51
of worms, by which he shall be devoured in the grave.
" Thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked." (Apoc. iii. 17.) He is so miserable that he
can do nothing, so blind that he knows nothing, and so
poor that he possesses nothing. And this worm dares to
despise a God, and to provoke his wrath. " Vile dust,"
says the same saint, " dares to irritate such tremendous
majesty." Justly, then, has St. Thomas asserted, that
the malice of mortal sin is, as it were, infinite : " Pecca-
tum habet quandam infinitatem malitiae ex infinitatem
divine majestatis." (Par. 3, q. 2,^ a. 2, ad. 2.) And St.
Augustine calls it an infinite evil. Hence Hell and a
thousand Hells are not sufficient chastisement for a single
mortal sin.
2. Mortal sin is commonly defined by theologians to
be <( a turning away from the immutable good." St.
Thorn., par. 1, q. 24, a. 4 ; a turning one's back on the
sovereign good. Of this God complains by his prophet,
saying: " Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord; thou
art gone backward/' (Jer. xv. 6.) Ungrateful man, he
says to the sinner, I would never have separated myself
from thee ; thou hast been the first to abandon me : tkou
art gone backwards; thou hast turned thy back upon
me.
3. He who contemns the divine law despises God;
because he knows that, by despising the law, he loses
the divine grace. " By transgression of the law, thou
dishonourest God." (Rom. ii. 23.) God is the Lord of
all things, because he has created them. " All things
are in thy power... Thou hast made Heaven and Earth."
(Esth. xiii. 9.) Hence all irrational creatures — the winds,
the sea, the fire, and rain — obey God, " The winds and
the sea obey him." (Matt. viii. 27.) " Fire, hail, snow,
ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word." (Ps. cxlviii.
8.) But man, when he sins, says to God : Lord, thou
dost command me, but I will not obey ; thou dost
command me to pardon such an injury, but I will resent
it ; thou dost command me to give up the property of
others, but I will retain it ; thou dost wish that I should
abstain from such a forbidden pleasure, but I will
indulge in it. " Thou hast broken my yoke, thou hast
burst my bands, and thou saidst : ' I will not serve/ "
52 SERMON VI.
(Jer. ii. 20.) In fine, the sinner when he creaks the
command, says to God: I do not acknowledge thee for
my Lord. Like Pharaoh, when Moses, on the part of
God, commanded him in the name of the Lord to allow
the people to go into the desert, the sinner answers :
" Who is the Lord, that I should hear his voice, and let
Israel go ?" (Exod. v. 2.)
4. The insult offered to God by sin is heightened by
the vileness of the goods for which sinners offend him.
" Wherefore hath the wicked provoked God." (Ps. x.
13.) For what do so many offend the Lord ? For a
little vanity ; for the indulgence of anger ; or for a
beastly pleasure. " They violate me among my people
for a handful of barley and a piece of bread." (Ezec. xiii.
19.) God is insulted for a handful of barley — for a
morsel of bread ! 0 God ! why do we allow ourselves
to be so easily deceived by the Devil ? " There is," says
the Prophet Osee, t( a deceitful balance in his hand."
(xii. 7.) We do not weigh things in the balance of God,
which cannot deceive, but in the balance of Satan, who
seeks only to deceive us, that he may bring us with him
self into Hell. " Lord," said David, " who is like to
thee ?" (Ps. xxxiv. 10.) God is an infinite good ; and
when he sees sinners put him on a level with some
earthly trifle, or with a miserable gratification, he justly
complains in the language of the prophet: " To whom,
have you likened me or made rne equal ? saith the Holy
One." (Isa. xl. 25.) In your estimation, a vile pleasure
is more valuable than my grace. Is it a momentary satis
faction you have preferred before me ? " Thou hast cast
me off behind thy back." (Ezec. xxiii. 35.) Then, adds
Salvian, " there is no one for whom men have less esteem
than for God." (Lib. v., Avd. Avar.) Is the Lord so
contemptible in your eyes as to deserve to have the
miserable things of the Earth preferred before him ?
5. The tyrant placed before St. Clement a heap of gold,
of silver, and of gems, and promised to give them to the
holy martyr if he would renounce the faith of Christ.
The saint heaved a sigh of sorrow at the sight of the
blindness of men, who put earthly riches in comparison
with God. But many sinners exchange the divine grace
for things of far less value ; they seek after certain
MALICE OF MORTAL SIN. 53
miserable goods, and abandon that God who is an infinite
good, and who alone can make them happy. Of this the
Lord complains, and calls on the Heavens to be astonished,
and on its gates to be struck with horror: " Be astonished'
O ye Heavens, at this ; and ye gates thereof, be very
desolate, saith the Lord." He then adds : " For my
people^have done two evils: they have forsaken me, the
fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves
cisterns — broken cisterns — that can hold no water." (Jer.
ii. 12 and 13.) We regard with wonder and amazement
the injustice of the Jews, who, when Pilate offered to
deliver Jesus or Barabbas, answered : " Not this man,
but Barabbas." (John xviii. 40.) The conduct of sinners
is still worse ; for, when the Devil proposes to them to
choose between the satisfaction of revenge— a miserable
pleasure—and Jesus Christ, they answer: "Not this
man, but Barabbas." That is, not the Lord Jesus, but
sin.
6. " There shall be no new God in thee," says the
Lord. (Ps. Ixxx. 10.) You shall not abandon me, your
true God, and make for yourself a new god, whom you
shall serve. St. Cyprian teaches that men make their
god whatever they prefer before God, by making it their
last end ; for God is the only last end of all : " Quidquid
homo Deo anteponit, Deum sibi facit." And St. Jerome
says : " Unusquisque quod cupit, si veneratur, hoc illi
Deus est. Vitium in corde, est idolum in altari." (In Ps.
Ixxx.) The creature which a person prefers to God,
becomes his God. Hence, the holy doctor adds, that as
the Gentiles adored idols on their altars, so sinners wor
ship sin in their hearts. When King Jeroboam rebelled
against God, he endeavoured to make the people imitate
him in the adoration of idols. He one day placed the
idols before them, and said : " Behold thy gods, 0 Israel !"
(3 Kings xii. 28.) The Devil acts in a similar manner
towards sinners: he places before them such a gratifica
tion, and says: Make this your God. Behold! this
pleasure, this money, this revenge is your God: adhere
to these, and forsake the Lord. When the sinner con
sents to sin, he abandons his Creator, and in his heart
adores as^ his god the pleasure which lie indulges.
" Yitium in corde est idolum in altari/'
SERMON VI.
7. The contempt which the sinner offers to God is
increased by sinning in God's presence. According to
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, some adored the sun as their god,
that during the night they might, in the absence of the
sun, do what they pleased, without fear of divine chas
tisement. " Some regarded the sun as their God, that,
after the setting of the sun, they might be without a god."
(Catech. iv.) The conduct of these miserable dupes was
very criminal ; but they were careful not to sin in
presence of their god. But Christians know that God is
present in all places, and that he sees all things. " Do
not I fill Heaven and Earth ? saith the Lord," (Jer. xxiii.
24) ; and still they do not abstain from insulting him,
and from provoking his wrath in his very presence :
*' A people that continually provoke me to anger before
my face." (Isa. Ixv. 3.) Hence, by sinning before him
who is their judge, they even make God a witness of
their iniquities : " I am the judge and the witness, saith
the Lord." (Jer. xxix. 23.) St. Peter Chrysologus says,
that, " the man who commits a crime in the presence of
his judge, can offer no defence." The thought of
having offended God in his divine presence, made David
weep and exclaim : " To thee only have I sinned, and
have done evil before thee." (Ps. i. 6.) But let us pass
to the second point, in which we shall see more clearly
the enormity of the malice of mortal sin.
Second Point. Mortal sin is a great offence offered
to God.
8. There is nothing more galling than to see oneself
despised by those who were most beloved and most
highly favoured. Whom do sinners insult ? They
insult a God who bestowed so many benefits upon them,
and who loved them so as to die on a cross for their
sake ; and by the commission of mortal sin they banish
that God from their hearts. A soul that loves God is
loved by him, and God himself comes to dwell within
her. " If any one love me, he will keep my word, and
my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and
will make our abode with him." (John xiv. 23.) The
Lord, then, never departs from a soul, unless he is driven
away, even though he should know that she will soon.
MALICE OP MORTAL SIN. 55
banish him from her heart. According to the Council of
Trent, " he deserts not the soul, unless he is deserted."
9. When the soul consents to mortal sin she ungrate
fully says to God: Depart from me. " The wicked have
said to God : Depart from us." (Job xxi. 14.) Sinners,
as St. Gregory observes, say the same, not in words, but
by their conduct. " Recede, non verbis, sed moribus."
They know that God cannot remain with sin in the soul :
and, in violating the divine commands, they feel that
God must depart ; and, by their acts they say to him :
since you cannot remain any longer with us, depart —
farewell. And through the very door by which God
departs from the soul, the Devil enters to take possession
of her. When the priest baptizes an infant, he com
mands the demon to depart from the soul: " Go out from
him, unclean spirits, and make room for the Holy
Ghost." But when a Christian consents to mortal sin,
he says to God : Depart from me ; malce room- for the
Devil, whom I wish to serve.
10. St. Bernard says, that mortal sin is so opposed to
God, that, if it were possible for God to die, sin would
deprive him of life ; " Peccatum quantum in se est Deum
perimit." Hence, according to Job, in committing mortal
sin, man rises up against God, and stretches forth his
hand against him : " For he hath stretched out his hand
against God, and hath strengthened himself against the
Almighty." (Job. xv. 25.)
11. According to the same St. Bernard, they who wil
fully violate the divine law, seek to deprive God of life
in proportion to the malice of their will ; " Quantum in
ipsa est Deum perimit propria voluntas." (Ser. iii. de Res.)
Because, adds the saint, self-will " would wish God to
see its own sins, and to be unable to take vengeance on
them." Sinners know that the moment they consent to
mortal sin, God condemns them to Hell. Hence, being
firmly resolved to sin, they wish that there was no God,
and, consequently, they would wish to take away his
life, that he might not be able to avenge their crime.
*' He hath," continues Job, in his description of the
wicked, " run against him witb his neck raised up, and
is armed with a fat neck." (xv. 26.) The sinner raises
his neck ; that is, his pride swells up, and he runs to
56
SERMON VI.
insult his God ; and, because he contends with a power
ful antagonist, " he is armed with a fat neck." " A fat
nech" is the symbol of ignorance, of that ignorance
which makes the sinner say : This is not a great sin ;
God is merciful ; we are flesh ; the Lord will have pity on
us. O temerity! 0 illusion! which brings so many
Christians to Hell.
Moreover, the man who commits a mortal sin afflicts
the heart of God. " But they provoked to wrath, and
afflicted the spirit of the Holy One." (Isaias Ixiii. 10.)
"What pain and anguish would you not feel, if you knew
that a person whom you tenderly loved, and on whom
you bestowed great favours, had sought to take away
your life ! God is not capable of pain ; but, were he
capable of suffering, a single mortal sin would be suffi
cient to make him die through sorrow. " Mortal sin,"
says Father Medina, u if it were possible, would destroy
God himself : because it would be the cause of infinite
sadness to God." As often, then, as you committed
mortal sin, you would, if it were possible, have caused
God to die of sorrow ; because you knew that by sin you
insulted him and turned your back upon him, after he
had bestowed so many favours upon you, and even after
he had given all his blood and his life for your salvation.
\_An act of sorrow t etc.}
SERMON VII.— SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE
EPIPHANY.
On the confidence with which we ought to recommend our
selves to the Mother of God*
" And the wine failing, the Mother of Jesus saith to him : They have
no wme." — JOHN ii. 3.
IN the Gospel of this day we read that Jesus Christ,
having been invited, went with his holy mother to a
marriage of Cana of Galilee. " The wine failing,'' Mary
* In a notice to the reader, prefixed to the Glories of Mary, St.
Alphonsus explains the sense in which he wished his doctrine regard
ing the privileges of the Blessed Virgin to be understood. ° He
ON RECOMMENDING OURSELVES TO THE B. V. MARY. 57
said to her divine Son : " They have no wine." By
these words she intended to ask her Son to console the
spouses, who were afflicted because the wine had failed.
Jesus answered: "Woman, what is it to me and to
thee ? my hour is not yet come." (John ii. 4.) He
meant that the time destined for the performance of
miracles was that of his preaching through Judea. But,
though his answer appeared to be a refusal of the request
of Mary, the Son, says St. Chrysostom, resolved to yield
to the desire of the mother. " Although he said, ' my
hour is not yet come,' he granted the petition of his
mother." (Horn, in ii. Joan.) Mary said to the waiters:
" Whatever he shall say to you, do ye." Jesus bid
them fill the water-pots with water — the water was
changed into the most excellent wine. Thus the bride
groom and the entire family were filled with gladness.
From the fact related in this day's gospel, let us consider,
in the first point, the greatness of Mary's power to obtain
from God the graces which we stand in need of ; and
concludes this explanation in the following words : " Then, to say all
in a few words, the God of all holiness, in order to glorify the Mother
of the Redeemer, has decreed and ordained, that her great charity
should pray for all those for whom her Divine Son has paid and
offered the most superabundant price of his precious blood, in which
alone is ' our salvation, life, and resurrection? And on the foundation
of this doctrine, and inasmuch as they accord with it, I have intended
to lay down my propositions, which the saints, in their affectionate
colloquies with Mary, and in their fervent discourses upon her, have
not hesitated to assert." Glories of Mary. Monza Edition, vol. i., pp.
11, 12.
In the third chapter of the first volume (pp. 123, 124), St. Alphonsus
compares the hope which we place in the Blessed Virgin to the con
fidence which a person has in a minister of state whom he asks to pro
cure a favour from his sovereign.
"Whatsoever Mary obtains for us, she obtains it through the
merits of Jesus Christ, and because she prays in the name of Jesus
Christ." Glories of Mary, vol. i., p. 188.
* ' Mary, then, is said to be omnipotent in the manner in which
omnipotence can be understood of a creature ; for a creature is inca
pable of a divine attribute. Thus she is omnipotent, inasmuch as she
obtains by her prayers whatever she asks. " Ibid., p. 223.
To obtain favours through the intercession of Mary, by practising
devout exercises in her honour, "the first condition is, that we per
form our devotions with a soul free from sin, or, at least, with a desire
to give up sin." "If a person wish to commit sin with the hope of
being saved by the Blessed Virgin, he shall thus render himself un
worthy and incapable of her protection." Glories of Mary, vol. ii.,
pp. 325, 326.
58 SERMON VII.
in the second, the tenderness of Mary's compassion, and
her readiness to assist us all in our wants.
First Point. The greatness of Mary's power to obtain
from God for us all the graces we stand in need of.
1. So great is Mary's merit in the eyes of God, that,
according to St. Bonaventure, her prayers are infallibly
heard. " The merit of Mary is so great before God,
that her petition cannot be rejected." (De Virg., c. iii.)
But why are the prayers of Mary so powerful in the
sight of God ? It is, says St. Antonine, because she is
his mother. u The petition of the mother of God
partakes of the nature of a command, and therefore it
is impossible that she should not be heard." (Par. 4, tit.
13, c. xvii., § 4.) The prayers of the saints are the
prayers of servants ; but the prayers of Mary are the
prayers of a mother, and therefore, according to the
holy doctor, they are regarded in a certain manner as
commands by her Son, who loves her so tenderly. It
is then impossible that the prayers of Mary should be
rejected.
2. Hence, according to Cosmas of Jerusalem, the inter
cession of Mary is all-powerful. " Omnipotens auxilium
tutirn, 0 Maria/' It is right, as Richard of St. Lawrence
teaches, that the son should impart his power to the
mother. Jesus Christ, who is all-powerful, has made
Mary omnipotent, as far as a creature is capable of
omnipotence ; that is, omnipotent in obtaining from him,
her divine Son, whatever she asks. " Cum autem eadem
sit potestas filii et matris ab omnipotente filio, omnipotens
mater facta est." (Lib. 4, de Laud. Virg.)
3. St. Bridget heard our Saviour one day addressing
the Virgin in the following words : " Ask from me
whatever you wish, for your petition cannot be fruit
less." (Rev. 1. 1, cap. iv.) My mother, ask of me what
you please ; I cannot reject any prayer which you
present to me ; " because since you refused me nothing
on earth, I will refuse you nothing in Heaven." (Ibid.)
St. George, Archbishop of Nicomedia, says that Jesus
Christ hears all the prayers of his mother, as if he wished
thereby to discharge the obligation which he owes to
her for having given to him his human nature, by con-
ON RECOMMENDING OURSELVES TO THE B. V. MA.RY. 59
senting to accept him for her Son. " Filius, exolvens
debitum petitiones tuas implet." (Orat. de Exitu Mar.)
Hence, St. Methodius, martyr, used to say to Mary :
" Euge, euge, quae debitorum habeas filium, Deo enim
universi debemus, tibi autem ille debitor est." (Orat,
Hyp. Dom.) Rejoice, rejoice, 0 holy virgin ; for thou
hast for thy debtor that Son to whom we are all debtors ;
to thee he owes the human nature which he received
from thee.
4. St. Gregory of Nicomedia encourages sinners by
the assurance that, if they have recourse to the Virgin
with a determination to amend their lives, she will save
them by her intercession. Hence, turning to Mary, he
exclaimed : " Thou hast insuperable strength, lest the
multitude of our sins should overcome thy clemency."
O mother of God, the sins of a Christian, however great
they may be, cannot overcome thy mercy. " Nothing,"
adds the same saint, " resists thy power ; for the Creator
regards thy glory as his own." Nothing is impossible
to thee, says St. Peter Damian : thou canst raise even
those who are in despair to hopes of salvation. " Nihil
tibi impossibile, qua3 etiam desperates in spem salutis
potes relevare." (Ser. i. de Nat. B.V.)
5. Eichard of St. Lawrence remarks that, in announc
ing to the Virgin that God has chosen her for the mother
of his Son, the Archangel Gabriel said to her : u Fear
not, Mary ; for thou hast found grace with God." (Luke
i. 30.) From which words the same author concludes :
" Cupientes invenire gratiam, quoaramus inventricem
gratise." If we wish to recover lost grace, let us seek
Mary, by whom this grace has been found She never
lost the divine grace ; she always possessed it. If the
angel declared that she had found grace, he meant that
she had found it not for herself, but for us miserable
sinners, who have lost it. Hence Cardinal Hugo
exhorts us to go to Mary, and say to her : O blessed
lady, property should be restored to those who lost it :
the grace which thou hast found is not thime— for thou
hast never lost the grace of God — but it is ours ; we
have lost it through our own fault : to us, then, thou
oughtest to restore it. "Sinners, who by your sins
have forfeited the divine grace, run to the Virgin, and
GO
SERMON TIT.
say to her with confidence : Restore us to our property,
which thou hast found."
6. It was revealed to St. Gertrude, that all the graces
which we ask of God through the intercession of Mary,
shall be given to us. She heard Jesus saying to his
divine mother : " Through thee all who ask mercy with
a purpose of amending their lives, shall obtain grace."
If all Paradise asked a favour of God, and Mary asked
the opposite grace, the Lord would hear Mary, and would
reject the petition of the rest of the celestial host.
Because, says Father Suarez, " God loved the Virgin
alone more than all the other saints." Let us, then,
conclude this first point in the words of St. Bernard :
" Let us seek grace, and let us seek it through Mary ;
for she is a mother, and her petition cannot be rejected."
(Serm. de Aqua$d.) Let us seek through Mary all the
graces we desire to receive from God, and we shall
obtain them ; for she is a mother, and her son cannot
refuse to hear her prayers, or to grant the graces which
she asks from him.
Second Point. On the tender compassion of Mary,
and her readiness to assist us in all our wants.
7. The tenderness of Mary's mercy may be inferred
from the fact related in this day's Gospel. The wine
fails — the spouses are troubled — no one speaks to Mary
to ask her Son to console them in their necessity. But
the tenderness of Mary's heart, which, according to St.
Bernardine of Sienna, cannot but pity the afflicted,
moved her to take the office of advocate, and, without
being asked, to entreat her Son to work a miracle.
" Unasked, she assumed the office of an advocate and a
compassionate helper." (Tom. 3, ser. ix.) Hence, adds
the same saint, if, unasked, this good lady has done so
much, what will she not do for those who invoke her
intercession ? "Si hoc non rogata perfccit, quid ro#ata
perficiet ?"
8. From the fact already related, St. Bonaventure
draws another argument to show the great graces which
we may hope to obtain through Mary, now that she
reigns in Heaven. If she was so compassionate on
earth, how much greater must be her mercy now that
ON RECOMMENDING OURSELVES TO THE B. V. MARY. 61
she is in Paradise ? " Great was the mercy of Mary
while in exile on earth ; but it is much greater now that
she is a queen in Heaven ; because she now sees the
misery of men." (St. Bona. in Spec. Virg., cap. viii.)
Mary in Heaven enjoys the vision of God ; and there
fore she sees our wants far more clearly than when she
was on earth ; hence, as her pity for us is increased, so
also is her desire to assist us more ardent. How truly
has Richard of St. Yictor said to the Yirgin : t( So tender
is thy heart that thou canst not see misery and not afford
succour." It is impossible for this loving mother to
behold a human being in distress without extending to
him pity and relief.
9. St. Peter Damian says that the Virgin " loves us
with an invincible love." (Ser, i. de Nat. Yirg.) How
ardently soever the saints may have loved this amiable
queen, their affection fell far short of the love which
Mary bore to them. It is this love that makes her so
solicitous for our welfare. The saints in Heaven, says
St. Augustine, have great power to obtain grace from
God for those who recommend themselves to their
prayers ; but as Mary is of all the saints the most
powerful, so she is of all the most desirous to procure
for us the divine mercy : " Sicut omnibus sanctis poten-
tior, sic omnibus est pro nobis sollicitior."
] 0. And, as this our great advocate once said to St.
Bridget, she regards not the iniquities of the sinner who
has recourse to her, but the disposition with which he
invokes her aid. If he comes to her with a firm purpose
of amendment she receives him, and by her intercession
heals his wounds, and brings him to salvation. " How
ever great a man's ,sins may be, if he shall return to me,
I am ready instantly to receive him. Nor do I regard
the number or the enormity of his sins, but the will with
which he comes to me ; for I do not disdain to anoint
and heal his wounds, because I am called, and truly am,
the mother of mercy."
11. The blessed Virgin is called a " fair olive tree in
the plains:" "Quasi oliva speciosa in campis." (Eccl.
xxiv. 19.) From the olive, oil only comes forth ; and
from the hands of Mary only graces and mercies flow.
According to Cardinal Hugo, it is said that she remains
G2 SERMON VII.
in the plains, to show that she is ready to assist all those
who have recourse to her : " Speciosa in campis ut
omnes ad earn confugiant." In the Old Law there were
five cities of refuge, in which not all, but only those
who had committed certain crimes, could find an asylum ;
but in Mary, says St. John Damascene, all criminals,
whatever may be their offences, may take refuge. Hence
he calls her " the city of refuge for all who have recourse
to her." Why, then, says St. Bernard, should we be
afraid to approach Mary? She is all sweetness and
clemency ; in her there is nothing austere or terrible :
" Quid ad Mariam accedere trepidat humana fragilitas ?
Nihil austerum in ea, nihil terribile, tota sauvis est."
12. St. Bonaventure used to say that, in turning to
Mary, he saw mercy itself receiving him. " When I
behold thee, O my lady, I see nothing but mercy.'' The
Virgin said one day to St. Bridget: " Miser erit, qui ad
misericordiam cum possit, non accedit." Miserable and
miserable for eternity shall be the sinner who, though
he has it in his power during life to come to me, who am
able and willing to assist him, neglects to invoke my aid,
and is lost, " The devil/' says St. Peter, " as a roaring
lion goeth about seeing whom he may devour." (1 Pet.
v. 8.) But, according to Bernardine a Bustis, this
mother of mercy is constantly going about in search of
sinners to save them. "She continually goes about
seeking whom she may save." (Maril. par. 3, ser. iii.)
This queen of clemency, says Richard^ of St. Victor,
presents our petitions, and begins to assist us before we
ask the assistance of her prayers ; " Velocius occurrit
ejus pietas quam invocetur, et causas miserorum antici-
pat." (In Can., c. xxiii.) Because, as the same author
says, Mary's heart is so full of tenderness towards us,
that she cannot behold our miseries without affording
relief. " Nee possis miserias scire, et non sub venire."
13. Let us, then, in all our wants, be most careful to
have recourse to this mother of mercy, who is always
ready to assist those who invoke her aid. " Invenies
semper paratam auxiliari," says Richard of St. Lawrence.
She is always prepared to come to our help, and
frequently prevents our supplications: but, ordinarily,
she requires that we should pray to her, and is offended
ON RECOMMENDING OURSELVES TO THE B. V. MARY. 83
when we neglect to ask her assistance. " In te domina
peccant," says St. Bonaventure, " non solum qui tibi
injuriam irrogant, sed etiam qui te non rogant." (In
Spec. Yirg.) Thou, 0 blessed lady, art displeased not
only with those who commit an injury against thee,
but also with those who do not ask favours from thee.
Hence, as the same holy doctor teaches, it is not possible
that Mary should neglect to succour any soul that flies
to her for protection ; for she cannot but pity and con
sole the afflicted who have recourse to her. " Ipsa enim
non misereri ignorat et miseris non satisfacere."
14. But, to obtain special favours from this good
lady, we must perform in her honour certain devotions
practised by her servants ; such as, first, to recite every
day at least five decades of the Rosary ; secondly, to
fast every Saturday in her honour. Many persons fast
every Saturday on bread and water : you should fast in
this manner at least on the vigils of her seven principal
festivals. Thirdly, to say the three Aves when the bell
rings for the Angelus Domini; and to salute her
frequently during the day with an Ave Maria, particu
larly when you hear a clock strike, or when you see an
image of the Yirgin, and also when you leave or return
to your house. Fourthly, to say every evening the
Litany of the Blessed Yirgin before you go to rest ; and
for this purpose procure an image of Mary, and keep it
near your bed. Fifthly, to wear the scapular of Mary
in sorrow, and of Mount Carmel. There are many
other devotions practised by the servants of Mary ; but
the most useful of all is, to recommend yourself
frequently to her prayers. Never omit to say three
Aves in the morning, to beg of her to preserve you from
sin during the day. In all temptations have immediate
recourse to her, saying: ''Mary, assist me." To resist
every temptation, it is sufficient to pronounce the names
of Jesus and Mary ; and if the temptation continues, let
us continue to invoke Jesus and Mary, and the devil
shall never be able to conquer us.
15. St. Bonaventure calls Mary the salvation of those
who invoke her : " 0 salus te invocantium." And if a
true servant of Mary were lost (I mean one truly devoted
to her, who wishes to amend his life, and invoke with
SERMON VIII.
confidence this advocate of sinners), this should happen
either because Mary would be unable or unwilling to
assist him. But, says St. Bernard, this is impossible :
being the mother of omnipotence and of mercy, Mary
cannot want the power or the will to save her servants.
Justly then is she called the salvation of all who invoke
her aid. Of this truth there are numberless examples :
that of St. Mary of 'Egypt will be sufficient. After
leading for many years a sinful and dissolute life, she
wished to enter the church of Jerusalem in which the
festival of the holy cross was celebrated. To make her
feel her miseries, God closed against her the door which
was open to all others: as often as she endeavoured to
enter, an invisible force drove her back. She instantly
perceived her miserable condition, and remained in
sorrow outside the church. Fortunately for her there
was an image of most holy Mary over the porch of the
church. As a poor sinner she recommended herself to
the divine mother, and promised to change her life.
After her prayer, she felt encouraged to go into the
church, and, behold ! the door which was before closed
against her she now finds open: she enters, and con
fesses her sins.^ She leaves the church, and, under the
influence of divine inspiration, goes into the desert,
where she lived for forty-seven years, and became a
saint.
SERMON YIIL— THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE
EPIPHANY.
On the remorse of the damned.
" But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior
darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." — MATT.
viii. 12.
IN the Gospel of this day it is related that, tl when Jesus
Christ entered into Capharnaum, there came to him a
centurion beseeching him" to cure his servant, who lay
sick of the palsy. Jesus answered : "I will come and
REMORSE OF THE DAMNED. 65
teal him." « No," replied the centurion, " I am not
worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof; but
only say the word, and my servant shall be healed."
(v. 8.) Seeing the centurion's faith, the Redeemer in
stantly consoled him by restoring health to his servant ;
and, turning to his disciples, he said : " Many shall come
from the east and the west, and shall sit down with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
Heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be
cast out into the exterior darkness ; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth." By these words our
Lord wished to signify, that many persons born in
infidelity shall be saved, and enjoy the society of the
saints, and that many who are born in the bosom of the
Church shall be cast into Hell, where the worm of con
science, by its gnawing, shall make them weep bitterly
for all eternity.
Let us examine the remorses of conscience which, a
damned Christian shall suffer in Hell. First remorse,
arising from the thought of the little which he required
to do in order to save his soul. Second remorse, arisin^
from the remembrance of the trifles for which he lost his
soul. Third remorse, arising from the knowledge of the
great good which he has lost through his own fault.
First remorse of the damned Christian, arising from
the thought of the little which he required to do in order
to save his soul.
1 . A damned soul once appeared to St. Hubert, and
said, that two remorses were her most cruel executioners
in Hell : the thought of the little which was necessary
for her to have done in this life to secure her salvation ;
and the thought of the trifles for which she brought
herself to eternal misery. The same thing has been
said by St. Thomas. _ Speaking of the reprobate, he
says : " They shall be in sorrow principally because they
are damned for nothing, and because they could most
easily have obtained eternal life." Let us stop to con
sider this first source of remorse; that is, how few and
transitory are the pleasures for which all the damned
are lost. Each of the reprobate will say for eternity :
If I abstained from such a gratification ; if in certain
E
66
SERMON VIII.
circumstances I overcame human respect ; if I avoided
such an occasion of sin — such a companion, I should
not now he damned; if I had frequented some pious
sodality ; if I had gone to confession every week ; if in
temptations I had recommended myself to God, I would
not have relapsed into sin. I have so often proposed to
do these things, but I have not done them. I began to
practise these means of salvation, but afterwards gave
them up ; and thus I am lost.
2. This torment of the damned will be increased by
the remembrance of the good example given them by
some young companions who led a chaste and pious life
even in the midst of the world. It will be still more
increased by the recollection of all the gifts which the
Lord had bestowed upon them, that by their co-opera
tion they might acquire eternal salvation ; the gifts of
nature — health, riches, respectability of family, talents ;
all gifts granted by God, not to be employed in the
indulgence of pleasures and in the gratification of
vanity, but in the sanctification of their souls, and in
becoming saints. So many gifts of grace, so many
divine lights, holy inspirations, loving calls, and so
many years of life to repair past disorders. But they
shall for ever hear from the angel of the Lord that for
them the time of salvation is past. " The angel whom
I saw standing, swore by Him that liveth for ever and
ever. . . . that time shall be no longer." (Apoc. x. 6.)
3. Alas ! what cruel swords shall all these blessings
received from God be to the heart of a poor damned
Christian, when he shall see himself shut up in the
prison of Hell, and that there is no more time to repair
his eternal ruin ! In despair he will say to his wretched
companions : " The harvest is past ; the summer is
ended ; and we are not saved." (Jer. viii. 20.) The
time, he will say, of gathering fruits of eternal life is
past ; the summer, during which we could have saved
our souls, is over, but we are not saved : the winter is
come ; but it is an eternal winter, in which we must live
in misery and despair as long as God shall be God.
4. 0 fool, he will say, that I have been ! If I had
suffered for God the pains to which I have submitted
for the indulgence of my passions — if the labours which
REMORSE OF THE DAMNED. 67
I have endured for my own damnation, had been borne
for my salvation, how happy should I now be ! And
what now remains of all past pleasures, but remorse and
pain, which now torture, and shall torture me for eter
nity ? Finally, he will say, I might be for ever happy
and now .[ must be for ever miserable. Ah! this
thought will torture the damned more than the fire and
all the other torments of Hell.
Second remorse of the damned, arising from the re
membrance of the trifles for which they lost their souls.
> Saul forbid the people, under pain of death, to
taste food. His son Jonathan, who was then young
being hungry, tasted a little honey. Having dis
covered that Jonathan had violated the command, the
king declared that he should die. Seeing himself con
demned to death, Jonathan said with tears : " I did but
taste a little honey, and behold I must die." (1
Kings xiv. 43.) But the people, moved to pity for
Jonathan, interposed with his father, and delivered him
from death. For the unhappy damned there is no com
passion ; there is no one to intercede with God to deliver
them from the eternal death of Hell. On the contrary,
all rejoice at the just punishment which they suffer for
having wilfully lost God and Paradise for the sake of a
transitory pleasure.
6. After having eaten the pottage of lentiles for
which he sold his right of primogeniture, Esau was
tortured with grief and remorse for what he had lost,
and "roared out with a great cry." (Gen. xxvii. 34.)
Oh ! how great shall be the roaring and howling of the
damned, at the thought of having lost, for a few poison
ous and momentary pleasures, the everlasting kingdom
of Paradise, and of being condemned for eternity to a
continual death !
7. The unfortunate reprobate shall be continually
employed in reflecting on the unhappy cause of their
damnation. To us who live on earth our past life
appears but a moment—but a dream. Alas ! what will
the fifty or sixty years which they may have spent in
this world appear to the damned, when they shall find
themselves in the abyss of eternity, and when they shall
G8 SERMON VIII.
have passed a hundred and a thousand millions of years
in torments, and shall see that their miserable eternity
is only beginning, and shall be for ever in its commence
ment ? liut have the fifty years spent on this ^ earth
been full of pleasures ? Perhaps the sinner, living in
enmity with God, enjoyed uninterrupted happiness in
his sins? How long do the pleasures of sin last?
Only for a few minutes ; the remaining part of the lives
of those who live at a distance from God is full of anguish
and pain. Oh ! what will these moments of pleasure
appear to a damned soul, when she shall find herself in
a pit of fire ?
8. " What hath pride profited us ? or what advantage
hath the boasting of riches brought us ? All those things
have passed away like a shadow." (Wis. v. 8.) Un
happy me ! each of the damned shall say, I have lived
on earth according to my corrupt inclinations ; I have
indulged my pleasures ; but what have they profited me ?
They have lasted but for a short time ; they have made
me lead a life of bitterness and disquietude ; and now
I must burn in this furnace for ever, in despair, and
abandoned by all.
Third remorse of the damned, arising from the know
ledge of the great good which they have lost by their
own fault.
9. A certain queen, blinded by the ambition of being
a sovereign, said one day : " If the Lord gives me a reign
of forty years, I shall renounce Paradise." The unhappy
queen reigned for forty years ; but now that she is in
another world, she cannot but be grieved at having
made such a renunciation. Oh ! how great must be her
anguish at the thought of having lost the kingdom of
Paradise for the sake of a reign of forty years, full of
troubles, of crosses, and of fears ! " Plus ccelo torque-
tor, quam gehenna," says St. Peter Chrysologus. To
the damned the voluntary loss of Paradise is a greater
loss than the very pains of Hell.
10. The greatest pain in Hell is the loss of God, that
sovereign good, who is the source of all the joys of
Paradise. " Let torments," says St. Bruno, " be added
to torments, and let them not be deprived of God."
REMORSE OF THE DAMNKD. (]9
(Serai, de Jud. fin.) The damned would be content to
have a thousand Hells added to the Hell which they
suffer provided they were not deprived of God; but
their Hell shall consist in seeing themselves deprived
lor ever of God through their own fault. St. Teresa
used to say, that when a person loses, through his own
iault, a trifle — a small sum of money, or a ring of little
value— the thought of having lost it through* his own
neglect afflicts him and disturbs his peace. What then
must be the anguish of the damned in reflecting that
they have lost God, a good of infinite value, and have
lost him through their own fault ?
11. The damned shall see that God wished them to
be saved, and had given them the choice of eternal life
or of eternal death. "Before man is life and death,
that which he shall choose shall be given to him." (Eccles."
xv. 18.) They shall see that, if they wished, they might
have acquired eternal happiness, and that, by their own
choice, they are damned. On the day of judgment
they shall see many of their companions among the
elect ; but, because they would not put a stop to their
career of sin, they have gone to end it in Hell. * " There
fore we have erred," they shall say to their unhappy
associates in Hell ; we have erred in losing Heaven and
God through our own fault, and our error is irreparable.
They shall continually exclaim : " There is no peace for
my bones because of my sins." (Ps. xxxvii. 4.) The
thought of having been the cause of their own damna
tion produces an internal pain, which enters into the
very bones of the damned, and prevents them from ever
enjoying a moment's repose. Hence, each of them shall
be to himself an object of the greatest horror. Each
shall suffer the pain threatened by the Lord : " I will
set THEE before thy face." (Ps. xlix. 21.)
12. If, beloved brethren, you have hitherto been so
foolish as to lose God for a miserable pleasure, do not
persevere in your folly. Endeavour, now that you have
it in your power, to repair your past error. Tremble !
Perhaps, if you do not now resolve to change your
life, you shall be abandoned by God, and be lost for ever.
When the Devil tempts you, remember Hell — the
thought of Hell will preserve you from that land of
70 SERMON IX.
misery. I say, remember Hell and have recourse to
Jesus Christ and to most holy Mary, and they will
deliver you from sin, which is the gate of Hell.
SERMON IX.— FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE
EPIPHANY.
Dangers to eternal salvation.
" And when he entered into the boat, his disciples followed him ; and,
behold, a great tempest arose in the sea." — MATT. viii. 23, 24.
On the greatness of the dangers to which our eternal sal
vation is exposed, and on the manner in which we ought
to guard against them.
1. IN this day's Gospel we find that, when Jesus Christ
entered the boat along with his disciples, a great tem
pest arose, so that the boat was agitated by the waves,
and was on the point of being lost. During this storm
the Saviour was asleep ; but the disciples, terrified by
the storm, ran to awake him, and said : " Lord, save us :
we perish." (v. 25.) Jesus gave them courage by saying :
" Why are ye fearful, 0 ye of little faith ? Then rising
up, he commanded the winds and the sea, and there
came a great calm." Let us examine what is meant by
the boat in the midst of the sea, and by the tempest
which agitated the sea.
2. The boat on the sea represents man in this world.
As a vessel on the sea is exposed to a thousand dangers
— to pirates, to quicksands, to hidden rocks, and to tem
pests ; so man in this life is encompassed with perils
arising from the temptations of Hell — from the occa
sions of sin, from the scandals or bad counsels of men,
from human respect, and, above all, from the bad pas
sions of corrupt nature, represented by the winds that
agitate the sea and expose the vessel to great danger of
being lost.
'6. Thus, as St. Leo says, our life is full of dangers,
of snares, and of enemies: u Plena omnia periculis,
plena laqueis: incitant cupiditates, insidiantur illecebra3 ;
blandiuntur lucra." (S. Leo, serm. v, de Quad.) The
DANGERS TO ETERNAL SALVATION. 71
first enemy of the salvation of every Christian is his own
corruption. "But every man is tempted by his own
concupiscence, being drawn away and allured." (St.
James i. 14.) Along with the corrupt inclinations which
live within us, and drag us to evil, we have many enemies
from without that fight against us. We have the devils,
with whom the contest is very difficult, because they
are stronger than we are." " Bellum grave/' says Cas-
siodorus, " qui cum fortiore." (In Psal. v.) Hence,
because we have to contend with powerful enemies, St.
Paul exhorts us to arm ourselves with the divine aid:
" Put you on the armour of God, that you may be able
to stand against the deceits of the Devil. For our
wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world
of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in
high places." (Eph. vi. 11, 12.) The Devil, according to
St. Peter, is a lion who is continually going about
roaring, through the rage and hunger which impel him
to devour our souls. " Your adversary, the Devil, like
a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may
devour." (1 Peter, v. 8,) St. Cyprian says that Satan
is continually lying in wait for us, in order to make us
his slaves : " Circuit demon nos singulos, et tanquam hos-
tis clauses obsidens muros explorat et tenat num sit pars
aliqua minis stabilis, cujus auditu ad interiora penetre-
tur." (S. Cyp. lib. de zelo, etc.)
4. Even the men with whom we must converse
endanger our salvation. They persecute or betray us,
or deceive us by their flattery and bad counsels. St.
Augustine says that, among the faithful there are in
every profession hollow and deceitful men. "Omnis
professio in ecclesia habet fictos." (In Ps. xciv.) Now
if a fortress were full of rebels within, and encompassed
by enemies from without, who is there that would not
regard it as lost ? Such is the condition of each of us
as long as we live in this world. Who shall be able to
deliver us from so many powerful enemies ? Only God :
" Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain
that keepeth it." (Ps. cxxvi. 2.)
5. What then is the means by which we can save our
souls in the midst of so many dangers? It is to imitate
72 SERMON IX.
the holy disciples — to have recourse to our Divine
Master, and say to him : " Save us ; we perish." Save
us, 0 Lord ; if thou do not we are lost. When the
tempest is violent, the pilot never takes his eyes from
the light which guides him to the port. In like mannei
we should keep our eyes always turned to God, whc
alone can deliver us from the many dangers to which we
are exposed. It was thus David acted when he found
himself assailed hy the dangers of sin. " I have lifted
up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall
come to me." (Ps. cxx. 1.) To teach us to recommend
ourselves continually to him who alone can save us by
his grace, the Lord has ordained that, as long as we
remain on this earth, we should live in the midst of a
continual tempest, and should be surrounded by enemies.
The temptations of the Devil, the persecutions of men,
the adversity which we suffer in this world, are not evils :
they are, on the contrary, advantages, if we know how
to make of them the use which God wishes, who sends
or permits them for our welfare. They detach our
affections from this earth, and inspire a disgust for this
world, by making us feel bitterness and thorns even in
its honours, its riches, its delights, and amusements.
The Lord permits all these apparent evils, that we may
take away our affections from fading goods, in which
we meet with so many dangers of perdition, and that we
may seek to unite ourselves with him who alone can
make us happy.
6. Our error and mistake is, that when we find our
selves harassed by infirmities, by poverty, by persecu
tions, and by such tribulations, instead of having recourse
to the Lord, we turn to men, and place our confidence
in their assistance, and thus draw upon ourselves the
malediction of God, who says, " Cursed be the man who
trusteth in man." (Jer. xvii. 5.) The Lord does not
forbid us, in our afnictions and dangers, to have recourse
to human means ; but he curses those who place their
whole trust in them. He wishes us to have recourse to
himself before all others, and to place our only hope in
him, that we may also centre in him all our love.
7. As long as we live on this earth, we must, accord
ing to St. Paul, work out our salvation with fear and
DANGERS TO ETERNAL SALTATION.
trembling, in the midst of the dangers by which we are
beset. " Cum metu et tremore vestram salutem opera-
mini." (Phil. ii. 12.) Whilst a certain vessel was in the
open sea a great tempest arose, which made the captain
tremble. ^ In the hold of the vessel there was an animal
eating with as much tranquillity as if the sea were per
fectly calm. The captain being asked why he was so
much afraid, replied: If I had a soul like the soul of
this brute, I too would be tranquil and without fear ; but
because I have a rational and an immortal soul, I am
afraid of death, after which I must appear before the
judgment-seat of God ; and therefore I tremble through
fear. Let us also tremble, beloved brethren. The salva
tion of our immortal souls is at stake. They who do not
tremble are, as St. Paul says, in great danger of being
lost; because they who fear not, seldom recommend
themselves to God, and labour but little to adopt the
means of salvation. Let us beware: we are, says St.
Cyprian, still in battle array, and still combat for eternal
salvation. "Adhuc in acie constituti de vita nostra
dimicamus." (S. Cypr., lib. 1, cap. i.)
8. The first means of salvation, then, is to recom
mend ourselves continually to God, that he may keep
his hands over us, and preserve us from offending him.
The ^ next is, to cleanse the soul from all past sins by
making a general confession. A general confession is
a powerful help to a change of life. When the tempest
is violent the burden of the vessel is diminished, and
each person on board throws his goods into the sea in
order to save his life. 0 folly of sinners, who, in the
midst of such great dangers of eternal perdition, instead
of diminishing the burden of the vessel — that is, instead
of unburdening the soul of her sins — load her with a
greater weight. Instead of flying from the dangers of
sm, they fearlessly continue to put themselves voluntarily
into dangerous occasions; and, instead of having re
course to God's mercy for the pardon of their offences,
they offend him still more, and compel him to abandon,
them.
9. Another means is, to labour strenuously not to
allow ourselves to become the slaves of irregular pas
sions. " Give me not over to a shameless and foolish
SERMON IX.
mind." (Eccl. xxiii. 6.) Do not, 0 Lord, deliver me up
to a mind blinded by passion. He who is blind sees not
what he is doing, and therefore he is in danger of falling
into every crime. Thus so many are lost by submitting
to the tyranny of their passions. Some are slaves to the
passion of avarice. A person who is now in the other
world said : Alas ! I perceive that a desire of riches is
beginning to rule over me. So said the unhappy man ;
but he applied no rerne'dy. He did not resist the passion
in the beginning, but fomented it till death, and thus at
his last moments left but little reason to hope for his
salvation. Others are slaves to sensual pleasures. They
are not content with lawful gratifications, and therefore
they pass to the indulgence of those that are forbidden.
Others are subject to anger ; and because they are not
careful to check the fire at its commencement, when it
is small, it increases and grows into a spirit of revenge.
10. " Hi hostes cavendi," says St. Ambrose, " hi gra-
viores tyranni. Multi in persecutione publica coronati,
in hac persecutione ceciderunt." (In Ps. cxviii. serm. 20.)
Disorderly affections, if they are not beaten down in the
beginning, become our greatest tyrants. Many, says St.
Ambrose, after having victoriously resisted the persecu
tions of the enemies of the faith, were afterwards lost
because they did not resist the first assaults of some
earthly passion. Of this, Origen was a miserable
example. He fought for, and was prepared to give his
life in defence of the faith ; but, by afterwards yielding
to human respect, he was led to deny it. (Natalis Alex
ander, His. Eccl., torn. 7, dis. xv., q. 2, a. 1.) We have
still a more miserable example in Solomon, who, after
having received so many gifts from God, and after being
inspired by the Holy Ghost, was, by indulging a passion
for certain pagan, women, induced to offer incense to idols.
The unhappy man who submits to the slavery of his
wicked passions, resembles the ox that is sent to the
slaughter after a life of constant labour. During their
whole lives worldlings groan under the weight of their
sins, and, at the end of their days, fall into Hell.
11. Let us conclude. When the winds are strong
and violent, the pilot lowers the sails and casts anchor.
So, when we find ourselves assailed by any bad passion,
DANGERS TO ETERNAL SALVATION. 75
we .should always lower the sails ; that is, we should
avoid all the occasions which may increase the passion
and should cast anchor by uniting ourselves to God, and
by begging of him to give us strength not to offend him
12. But some of you will say, What am I to do ? I
live in the midst of the world, where my passions con
tinually assail me even against my will. I will answer
in the words of Origen : '< Donee quis in tenebris scecu-
lanbus manet et in negotiorum obscuritate versatur, nou
potest servire Domino. Exeundum est ergo de Egypto,
relmquendus est mundus, non loco sed ammo." (Horn.
111. in Exod.) The man who lives in the darkness of the
world and in the midst of secular business, can with
difficulty serve God. Whoever then wishes to insure
his eternal salvation, let him retire from the world, and
take refuge in one of those exact religious communities
which are the secure harbours in the sea of this world.
11 he cannot actually leave the world, let him leave it at
least in affection, by detaching his heart from the things
ol this world, and from his own evil inclinations : " Go
not after thy lusts," says the Holy Ghost, " but turn
away from thy own will." (Eccl. xviii. 30.) Follow not
your own concupiscence; and when your will impels
you to evil, you must not indulge, but must resist its
inclinations.
13. " The time is short : it remaineth that they also
who have wives be as if they had none ; and they that
weep, as though they wept not ; and they that rejoice,
as it they rejoiced not ; and they that buy, as if they
possessed not ; and they that use this world, as if they
used it not ; for the fashion of this world passeth away "
1 Cor. vii. 29, etc.) The time of life is short ; we should
then prepare for death, which is rapidly approaching ;
and to prepare for that awful moment, let us reflect that
everything m this world shall soon end. Hence, the
£?S ? tells those wto suffer in tnis life to be as if they
Buttered not, because the miseries of this life shall soon
pass away, and they who save their souls shall be happy
for eternity; and he exhorts those who enjoy the goods
of this earth to be as if they enjoyed them not, because
they must one day leave all things; and if they lose
their souls, they shall be miserable for ever.
SERMON X.
SERMON X.— FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE
EPIPHANY.
On the pains of Hell.
" Gather up first the coclde, and bind into bundles to burn."—
MATT. xiii. 30.
I shall first speak of the fire, which is the principal pain
that torments the senses of the damned, and afterwards
of the other 2)ains of hell.
1. BEHOLD! the final doom of sinners who abuse the
divine mercy is, to burn in the fire of hell. God
threatens hell, not to send us there, but to deliver us
from that place of torments. " Minatur Deus gehennem,1'
says St. Chrysostom, " ut a gehenna liberet, et ut firmi
ac stabiles evitemus minas." (Horn. v. de Poenit.)
Remember, then, brethren, that God gives you to-day
the opportunity of hearing this sermon, that you may be
preserved from hell, and that you may give up sin,
which alone can lead you to hell.
2. My brethren, it is certain and of faith that there
is a hell. After judgment the just shall enjoy the
eternal glory of Paradise, and sinners shall be con
demned to suffer the everlasting chastisement reserved
for them in hell. "And these shall go into everlasting
punishment, but the just into life everlasting." (Matt.
xxv. 46.) Let us examine in what hell consists. It is
what the rich glutton called it — a place of torments.
" In hunc locum tormentorum." (Luc. xvi. 28.) It is a
place of suffering, where each of the senses and powers
of the damned has its proper torment, and in which the
torments of each person will be increased in proportion
to the forbidden pleasures in which he indulged. " As
much as she hath glorified herself and lived in delicacies,
so much torment and sorrow give ye to her." (Apoc.
xviii. 7.)
3. In offending God the sinner does two evils: he
abandons God, the sovereign good, who is able to make
him happy, and turns to creatures, who are incapable
PAINS OF HELL. 77
of giving any real happiness to the soul. Of this injury
which men commit against him, the Lord complains by
his prophet Jeremy: "For my people have done two
evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living
waters, and have digged to themselves cisterns — broken
cisterns— that can hold no water." (Jer. ii. 13.) Since,
then, the sinner turns his back on God, he shall be tor
mented in hell, by the pain arising from the loss of God,
of which I shall speak on another occasion [see the Ser
mon for the nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost], and
since, in offending God, he turns to creatures, he shall
be justly tormented by the same creatures, and princi
pally by fire.
4. " The vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire
and* worms." (EccL vii. 19.) Fire and the remorse of
conscience are the principal means by which God takes
vengeance on the flesh of the wicked. Hence, in con
demning the reprobate to hell, Jesus Christ commands
them to go into eternal fire. :t Depart from me, you
cursed, into everlasting fire." (Matt. xxv. 41.) This
fire, then, shall be one of the most cruel executioners of
the damned. .,
5. Even in this life the pain of fire is the mosUemolc
of all torments. But St. Augustine says, that in com
parison of the fire of hell, the fire of this earth is no
more than a picture compared with the reality, ^ In
cuius comparatione noster hie ignus depictus est.
Anselm teaches, that the fire of hell as far surpasses the
fire of this world, as the fire of the real exceeds that of
painted fire. The pain, then, produced by the nre ot
hell is far greater than that which is produced by our
fire because God has made the fire of this earth for the
use of man, but he has created the fire of hell purposely
for the chastisement of sinners ; and therefore, as ler-
tullian says, he has made it a minister of his justice.
" Longe alius est ignis, qui usui humano, alms qui l>
justitiS, deservit." This avenging fire is always kept
alive by the wrath of God. " A fire is kindled in my
^ ?' " And the' rich man also died, and he was buried
in hell." (Luke xvi. 22.) The damned are buried m
the fire of hell ; hence they have an abyss of fire below,
78 SERMON X.
an abyss of fire above, and an abyss of fire on every side.
As a fish in the sea is surrounded by water, so the un
happy reprobate are encompassed by fire on every side.
The sharpness of the pain of fire may be inferred from
the circumstance, that the rich glutton complained of no
othei torment. " I am tormented in this flame." (Ibid,
v 23.)
7 The Prophet Isaias says that the Lord will punish
the guilt of sinners with the spirit of fire. u If the
Lord shall wash away the filth of the daughters of Sion
by the spirit of burning" (iv. 4). " The spirit of
burning" is the pure essence of fire. All spirits or
essences, though taken from simple herbs or flowers, are
so penetrating, that they reach the very bones. Such is
the fire of hell. Its activity is so great, that a single
spark of it would be sufficient to melt a mountain of
bronze. The disciple relates, that a damned nerson,
who appeared to a religious, dipped his hand into a
vessel of water; the religious placed in the vessel a
candlestick of bronze, which was instantly dissolved.
8. This fire shall torment the damned not only exter
nally, but also internally. It will burn the bowels, the
heart, the brains, the blood within the veins, and the
marrow within the bones. The skin of the damned shall
be like a caldron, in which their bowels, their flesh, and
their bones shall be burned. David says, that the bodies
of the damned shall be like so many furnaces of fire.
" Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire in the time
of thy anger." (Ps. xx. 10.)
9. O God ! certain sinners cannot bear to walk under
a strong sun, or to remain before a large fire in a close
room ; they cannot endure a spark from a candle ; and
they fear not the fire of hell, which, according to the
Prophet Isaias, not only burns, but devours the unhappy
damned. " Which of you can dwell with devouring
fire V9 (Isaias xxxiii. 14.) As a lion devours a lamb, so
the fire of hell devours the reprobate ; but it devours
without destroying life, and thus tortures them with a
continual death. Continue, says St. Peter Damian to
the sinner who indulges in impurity, continue to satisfy
your flesh ; a day will come, or rather an eternal night,
when your impurities, like pitch, shall nourish a fire
PAINS OF HELL. 79
within your very bowels. " Yenit dies, imo nox, quando
libido tua vertetur in picem qua se nutriet perpetuus
ignis in visceribus tuis." (Epist. 6.) And according
to St. Cyprian, the impurities of the wicked shall boil
in the very fat which will issue from their accursed
bodies.
10, St. Jerome teaches, that in this fire sinners shall
suffer not only the pain of the fire, but also all the pains
which men endure on this earth. " In uno igne omnia
supplicia sentient in inferno peccatores." (Ep. ad Pam.)
How manifold are the pains to which men are subject in
this life. Pains in the sides, pains in the head, pains in
the loins, pains in the bowels. All these together torture
the damned.
11. The fire itself will bring with it the pain of dark
ness ; for, by its smoke it will, according to St. J ohn,
produce a storm of darkness which shall blind the
damned." " To whom the storm of darkness is reserved
for ever." (St. Jude 13.) Hence, hell is called a land
of darkness covered with the shadow of death. " A
land that is dark and covered with the mist of death • a
land of misery and darkness, wheie the shadow of
death, and no order but everlasting horror dwelleth."
(Job x. 21, 22.) To hear that a criminal is shut up in
a dungeon for ten or twenty years excites our compas
sion. Hell is a dungeon closed on every side, into which
a ray of the sun or the light of a candle never enters.
Thus the damned " shall never see light." (Ps xlviii.
20.) ^The fire of this world gives light, but the fire of
hell is utter darkness. In explaining the words of
David, " the voice of the Lord divideth the flame of
fire," (Ps. xxviii. 7,) St. Basil says, that in hell the
Lord separates the fire that burns from the flame which
illuminates, and therefore this fire burns, but gives no
light. B. Albertus Magnus explains this passage more
concisely by saying that God " divides the heat from the
light." St. Thomas teaches, that in hell there is only
so much lig;ht as is necessary to torment the damned by
the sight of their associates and of the devils: " Quan
tum sufficit ad videndum ilia qua3 torquere possunt."
(3 p., q. 97, art. 5.) And according to St. Augustine,
the bare sight of these infernal monsters excites sufficient
80 SERMON X.
terror to cause the death of all the damned, if they were
capable of dying. " Yidebunt monstra, quorum visio
postet illos occidere."
12. To suffer a parching thirst, without having a drop
of water to quench it, is intolerably painful. It has
sometimes happened, that travellers who could procure
no refreshment after a long journey, have fainted from
the pain produced by thirst. So great is the thirst of
the damned, that if one of them were offered all the
water on this earth, he would exclaim : All this water
is not sufficient to extinguish the burning thirst which I
endure. But, alas ! the unhappy darned shall never
have a single drop of water to refresh their tongues.
" He cried out and said : Father Abraham, have mercy
on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his
finger in water, to cool my tongue, for I am tormented
in this flame.'1 (St. Luke xvi. 24.) The rich glutton has
not obtained, and shall never obtain, this drop of water,
as long as God shall be God.
13. The reprobate shall be likewise tormented by the
stench which pervades hell. The stench shall arise
from the very bodies of the damned. " Out of their
carcasses shall arise a stink." (Isaiah xxxiv. 3.) The
bodies of the damned are called carcasses, not because
they are dead (for they are living, and shall be for ever
alive to pain), but on account of the stench which they
exhale. Would it not be very painful to be shut up in
a close room with a fetid corpse ? St. Bonaventure
says, that if the body of one of the damned were placed
in the earth, it would, by its stench, be sufficient to
cause the death of all men. How intolerable, then,
must it be to live for ever in the dungeons of hell in
the midst of the immense multitudes of the damned !
Some foolish worldlings say : If I go to hell, I shall not
be there alone. Miserable fools ! do you not see that the
greater the number of your companions, the more
insufferable shall be your torments ? " There," says St.
Thomas, " the society of the reprobate shall cause an
increase and not a diminution of misery." (Suppl., q. 86,
art. 1.) The society of the reprobate augments their
misery, because each of the damned is a source of
suffering to all the others. Hence, the greater their
PAINS OF HELL. 81
number, the more they shall mutually torment each
other. " And the people," says the prophet Isaias,
" shall be ashes after a fire, as a bundle of thorns they
shall be burnt with fire." (Isa. xxxiii. 12.) Placed in
the midst of the furnace of hell, the damned are like so
many grains reduced to ashes by that abyss of fire, and like
so many thorns tied together and wounding each other.
14. They are tormented not only by the stench of their
companions, but also by their shrieks and lamentations.
How painful it is to a person longing for sleep to hear
the groans of a sick man, the barking of a dog, or the
screams of an infant. The damned must listen inces
santly to the wailing and howling of their associates, not
for a night, nor for a thousand nights, but for all eternity,
without the interruption of a single moment.
15. The damned are also tormented by the narrow
ness of the place in which they are confined; for,
although the dungeon of hell is large, it will be too
small for so many millions of the reprobate, who like
sheep shall be heaped one over the other. " They are,"
says David, "laid in hell like sheep." (Ps. xlviii. 15.)
We learn from the Scriptures that they shall be pressed
together like grapes in the winepress, by the vengeance
of an angry God. " The winepress of the fierceness of
the wrath of God the Almighty." (Apoc. xix. 15.) From
this pressure shall arise the pain of immobility. '* Let
them become unmoveable as a stone." (Exod. xvi. 16.)
In whatever position the damned shall fall into hell
after the general judgment, whether on the side, or on
the back, or with the head downwards, in that they must
remain for eternity, without being ever able to move
foot or hand or finger, as long as God shall be God. In
a word, St. Chrysostom says, that all the pains of this
life, however great they may be, are scarcely^ shadow
of the torments of the damned. " Hcec omnia ludicra
sunt et risus ad ilia supplicia : pone ignem, ferrum, et
bestias, attamen vix umbra sunt ad ilia tormenta." (Horn,
xxxix. ad pop. Ant.)
16. The reprobate, then, shall be tormented in all the
senses of the body. They shall also be tormented in all
the powers of the soul. Their memory shall be tor
mented by the remembrance of the years which they
82
SERMON X.
had received from God for the salvation of their souls,
and which they spent in labouring for their own damna
tion ; by the remembrance of so many graces and so
many divine lights which they abused. Their under
standing shall be tormented by the knowledge of the
great happiness which they forfeited in losing their souls,
heaven, and God ; and by a conviction that this loss is
irreparable. Their will shall be tormented by seeing
that whatsoever they ask or desire shall be refused.
"The desire of the wicked shall perish." (Ps. cxi. 10.)
They shall never have any of those things for which
they wish, and must for ever suffer all that is repugnant
to their will. They would wish to escape from these
torments and to find peace ; but in these torments they
must for ever remain, and peace they shall never enjoy.
17. Perhaps they may sometimes receive a little com
fort, or at least enjoy occasional repose ? No, says
Cyprian : " Nullum ibi refrigerium, nullum remedium,
atque ita omni tormento atrocius desperatio." (Serm. de
Ascens.) In this life, how great soever may be the
tribulations which we suffer, there is always some relief
or interruption. The damned must remain for ever in
a pit of fire, always in torture, always weeping, without
ever enjoying a moment's repose. But perhaps there is
some one to pity their sufferings? At the very time
that they are so much afflicted the devils continually
reproach them with the sins for which they are tor
mented, saying : Suffer, burn, live for ever in despair :
you yourselves have been the cause of your destruction.
And do not the saints, the divine mother, and God, who
is called the Father of Mercies, take compassion on their
miseries ? No ; " the sun shall be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall
from heaven." (Matt. xxvi. 29.) The saints, represented
by tbe stars, not only do not pity the damned, but they
even rejoice in the vengeance inflicted on the injuries
offered to their God. Neither can the divine mother
pity them, because they hate her Son. And Jesus
Christ, who died for the love of them, cannot pity them,
because they have despised his love, and have voluntarily
brought themselves to perdition.
DEATH OF THE JUST. 83
SERMON XI.— SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEE, THE
EPIPHANY.
On the death of the just.
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took
and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened." — •
MATT. xiii. 33.
IN this day's gospel we find that a woman, after putting
leaven in the dough, waits till the entire is fermented.
Here the Lord gives us to understand that the kingdom
of heaven — that is, the attainment of eternal beatitude
— is like the leaven. By the leaven is understood the
divine grace, which makes the soul acquire merits for
eternal life. But this eternal life is obtained only when
" the whole is leavened ;" that is, when the soul has
arrived at the end of the present life and the completion
of her merits. We shall, then, speak to-day of the death
of the just, which we should not fear, but should desire
with our whole souls. For, says St. Bonaventure,
" Triplex in morte congratulatio, hominem ab omni
labore, peccato, et periculo liberari." Man should
rejoice at death, for three reasons — First, because death
delivers him from labour — that is, from suffering the
miseries of this life and the assault of his enemies.
Secondly, because it delivers him from actual sins.
Thirdly, because it delivers him from the danger of fall
ing into hell, and opens Paradise to him.
First Point. — Death delivers us from the miseries of
this life, and from the assaults of our enemies.
1. What is death? St. Eucherius answers, that
" death is the end of miseries." Job said that our life,
however short it may be, is full of miseries, of infirmities,
of crosses, of persecutions, and fears. " Man born of a
woman, living for a short time, is filled with many
miseries." (Job xiv. 1.) What, says St. Augustine, do
men who wish for a prolongation of life on this earth
desire but a prolongation of suffering ?" " Quid est diu
vivere nisi diu tor queri." (Serm. xviL de Serb. Dom.)
Yes ; for, as St. Ambrose remarks, the present life was
SERMON XI.
given to us not for repose or enjoyment, but for labour
and suffering, that by toils and pains we may merit
Paradise. " Haic vita homini non ad quitem data est,
sed ad laborem." (Serm. xliii.) Hence the same holy
doctor says, that, though death is the punishment of sin,
still the miseries of this life are so great, that death
appears to be a relief rather than a chastisement : " Ut
mors rcmediuni videatur esse, non poena.'1
2. To those who love God, the severest of all the
crosses of this life are the assaults of hell to rob them
of the divine grace. Hence St. Denis the Areopagite
says, that they joyfully meet death, as the end of their
combats, and embrace it with gladness, because they
hope to die a good death, and to be thus freed from all
fear of ever again falling into sin. " Diyino gaudio et
mortis terminum tanquam ad finem certaminum tendunt,
non amplius metuentus pervertii." (De Hier. Eccl., cap.
vii.) The greatest consolation which a soul that loves
God experiences at the approach of death, arises from
the thought of being delivered from so many tempta
tions, from so many remorses of conscience, and from
so many dangers of offending God. Ah ! says St.
Ambrose, as long as we live, "we walk among snares."
We walk continually in the midst of the snares of our
enemies, who lie in wait to deprive us of the life of
grace. It was the fear of falling into sin that made St.
Peter of Alcantara, in his last moments, say to a lay
brother who, in attending the saint, accidently touched
him : " Brother, remove, remove from me, for I am still
alive and in danger of being lost." The thought of
being freed from the danger of sin by death consoled
St. Teresa, and made her rejoice as often as she heard
the clock strike, that an hour of the combat \yas past.
Hence she used to say : " In each moment of life we
may sin and lose God." Hence the news of approaching
death filled the saints not with sorrow or regret, but
with sentiments of joy ; because they knew that their
struggles and the dangers of losing the divine grace
were soon to have an end.
3. " But the just man, if he be prevented with death,
shall be in rest." (Wis. iv. 7.) He who is prepared to
die, regards death as a relief. If, says St. Cyprian, you
DEATH OF THE JUST. 85
lived in a house whose roof and walls were tottering and
threatening destruction, would you not fly from, it as
soon as possible ? In this life everything menaces ruin
to the poor soul — the world, the devils, the flesh, the
passions, all draw her to sin and to eternal death. It
was this that made St. Paul exclaim: " Who shall deliver
me from the body of this death?" (Rom. vii. 24.) Who
shall deliver me from this body of mine, which lives
continually in a dying state, on account of the assaults
of my enemies ? Hence he esteemed death as a great
gam, because it brought to him the possession of Jesus
Christ, his true life. Happy then are they who die in
the Lord : because they escape from pains and toils, and
go to rest. " Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.
From henceforth now, saith the spirit, that they may
rest from their labours." (Apoc. xiv. 13.) It is related
in the lives of the ancient fathers, that one of them who
was very old, when dying, smiled, while the others wept.
Being asked why he smiled, he said : (t Why do you weep
at seeing me go to rest ? — Ex labore ad requiem vado, et
vos ploratis ?" At the hour of death, St. Catherine of
Sienna said to her sisters in religion : Hejoice with me:
for I leave this land of suffering, and am going to the
kingdom of p^eace. The death of the saints is called a
sleep — that is, the repose which God gives to his
servants as the reward of their toil " When he shall
give sleep to his beloved, behold the inheritance of the
Lord." (Ps. cxxvi. 2.) Hence the soul that loves God
neither weeps nor is troubled at the approach of death,
but, embracing the crucifix, and burning with love, she
says : " In peace in the self same I will sleep and I will
rest." (Ps. iv. 9.)
4. That " Proficiscere de hoc mundo," (" Depart,
Christian soul, from this world,") which is so appalling to
sinners at the hour of death, does not alarm the saints.
" But the souls of the just are in the hands of God, and
the torment of death shall not touch them." (Wis. iii.
1.) The saint is not afflicted, like worldlings, at the
thought of being obliged to leave the goods of this
earth, because he has kept the soul detached from
them. During life, he always regarded God as tho
Lord of his heart and as the sole riches which ha
SERMON XT.
desired : " What have I in heaven ? and, besides thee,
what do I desire upon earth ? Thou art the God of
my heart and the God that is my portion for ever." (Ps.
Ixxxii. 25, 26.) He is not afflicted at leaving honours,
because the only honour which he sought was, to love
and to be loved by God. All the honours of this world
he has justly esteemed as smoke and vanity. He is not
afflicted at leaving his relatives, because he loved them
only in God. In his last moments he recommends them
to his heavenly Father, who loves them more than he
does. And having a secure confidence of salvation, he
hopes to be better able to assist his relatives from Para
dise, than on this earth. In a word, what he frequently
said during life, he continues to repeat with greater
fervour at the hour of death — " My God and my all."
5. Besides, his peace is not disturbed by the pains of
death ; but, seeing that he is now at the end of his life,
and that he has no more time to suffer for God, or to
offer him other proofs of love, he accepts those pains
with joy, and offers them to God as the last remains of
life ; and uniting his death with the death of Jesus Christ,
he offers it to the Divine Majesty.
0. And although the remembrance of the sins which
he has committed will afflict, it will not disturb him ;
for, since he is convinced that the Lord will forget the
sins of all true penitents, the very sorrow which he feels
for his sins, gives him an assurance of pardon. " If the
wicked do penance. ... I will not remember all his
iniquities that he hath done." (Ezec. xviii. 21 and 22.)
"How," asks St. Basil, "can anyone be certain that
God has pardoned his sins ? He may be certain of
pardon if he say : I have hated and abhorred iniquity."
(In Reg. inter. 12.) He who detests his sins, and offers
to God his death in atonement for them, may rest secure
that God has pardoned them. " Mors," says St. Augus
tine, " qua3 in lege naturae erat poona peccati in lege
gratis est hostia pro peccato." (Lib. iv. de Trin. c. xxii.)
Death, which was a chastisement of sin under the law
of nature, has become, in the law of grace, a victim of
penance, by which the pardon of sin is obtained.
7. The very love which a soul bears to God, assures
her of his grace, and delivers her from the fear of being
DEATH OF TFIE JUST. 87
lost. " Charity casteth out fear." (1 John iv. 18.) If,
at the hour of death, you are unwilling to pardon an
enemy, or to restore what is not your own, or if you
wish to keep up an improper friendship, then tremble
for your eternal salvation ; for you have great reason to
be afraid of death ; but if you seek to avoid sin, and to
preserve in your heart a testimony that you love God,
bo assured that he is with you : and if the Lord is with
you, what do you fear ? And if you wish to be assured
that you have within you the divine love, embrace
death with peace, and offer it from your heart to God.
He that offers to God his death, makes an act of love
the most perfect that is possible for him to perform ;
because, by cheerfully embracing death to please God,
at the time and in the manner which God ordains, he
becomes like the martyrs, the entire merit of whose
martyrdom consisted in suffering and dying to please
God.
Second Point. — Death frees us from actual sins.
8. It is impossible to live in this world without com
mitting at least some slight faults. " A just man shall
fall seven times/' (Prov. xxiv. 16.) He who ceases to
live, ceases to offend God. Hence St. Ambrose called
death the burial of vices : by death they are buried, and
never appear again. " Quid est mors nisi sepultura
vitorum?" (De Bono Mort. cap. iv.) The venerable
Vincent Caraffa consoled himself at the hour of death
by saying : now that I cease to live, I cease for ever to
offend my God. He who dies in the grace of God, goes
into that happy state in which he shall love God for
ever, and shall never more offend him. " Mortuus,"
says the same holy doctor, " nescit peccare. Quid
tanto pere vita mistam desideramus, in qua quanto diutius
quis fuerit, tanto majori oneratur sarcina peccatorum."
How can we desire this life, in which the longer we live,
the greater shall be the load of our sins ?
9. Hence the Lord praises the dead more than any
man living : " I praised the dead rather than the living."
(Eccl. iv. 2.) Because no man on this earth, however
holy he may be, is exempt from sins. A spiritual soul
gave directions that the person who should bring to her
88 SERMON XI.
the news of death, should say : " Console yourself, for the
time has arrived when you shall no longer offend God."
10. St. Ambrose adds, that God permitted death to
enter into the world, that, by dying, men should cease
to sin: "Passus est Dominus subintrare mortem ut
culpa cessaret." (Loco cit.) It is, then, a great error to
imagine that death is a chastisement for those who love
God. It is a mark of the love which God bears to
them ', because he shortens their life to put an end to
sin, from which they cannot be exempt as long as they
remain on this earth. " For his soul pleased God :
therefore he hastened to bring him out of the midst of
iniquities." (Wis. iv. 14.)
Third Point. — Death delivers us from the danger of
falling into hell, and opens Paradise to us.
11. " Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death
of the saints." (Ps. cxv. 16.) Considered according to
the senses, death excites fear and terror ; but, viewed
with the eye of faith, it is consoling and desirable. To
the saints it is as amiable and as precious, as it appears
terrible to sinners. " It is precious," says St. Bernard,
" as the end of labours, the consummation of victory, the
gate of life." The joy of the cup-bearer of Pharaoh,
at hearing from Joseph that he should soon be released
from prison, bears no comparison to that which a soul
that loves God feels on hearing that she is to be liber
ated from the exile of this earth, and to be transported
to the enjoyment of God in her true country. The
Apostle says, that, as long as we remain in the body, we
wander at a distance from our country in a strange land,
and far removed from the life of God : " While we are
in the body, we are absent from the Lord." (2 Cor. v.
6.) Hence, St. Bruno teaches, that our death should
not be called death, but the beginning of life. " Mors
dicenda non est, sed vita} principium." And St. Athana-
sius says: " Non est justis mors sed translatio." To the
just, death is but a passage from the miseries of this
earth to the eternal delights of Paradise. O desirable
death ! exclaimed St. Augustine ; who is there that does
not desire thee ? For thou art the term of evils, the end
of toils, and the beginning of everlasting repose ! " O
DEATH OF THE JUST. 89
mors desirabilis, malorum finis, laboris clausula, quietis
principium."
12. No one can enter into heaven to see God without
passing through the gate of death. " This is the gate
of the Lord — the just shall enter into it." (Ps. cxvii.
20.) Hence, addressing death, St. Jerome said : " Aperi
mini soror mea." Death, my sister, if you do not open
the gate to me, I cannot enter to enjoy my God. And
St. Charles Borromeo, seeing in his house a picture of
death with a knife in the hand, sent for a painter to
cancel the knife, and substitute for it a key of gold ;
because, said the saint, it is death that opens Paradise.
Were a queen confined in a dark prison, how great
would be her joy at hearing that the gates of the
prison are open, and that she is to return from the
dungeon to her palace ! It was to be liberated by death
from the prison of this life that David asked, when he
said : " Bring my soul out of prison." (Ps. cxli. 8.)
This, too, was the favour which the venerable Simeon
asked of the infant Jesus, when he held him in his arms :
" Now thou dost dismiss thy servant." (Luke ii. 29.)
" As if detained by force," says St. Ambrose, " he asked
to be dismissed." Simeon sought to be delivered by
death, as if he had been compelled by force to live on
this earth.
13. St. Cyprian says, that the sinner who shall pass
from temporal to eternal death, has just reason to be
afraid of death. " Mori timeat, qui ad secundum mor
tem de hac morte transibit." But he who is in the
state of grace and hopes to pass from death to eternal
life — which is the true life — tears not death. It is re
lated that a certain rich man gave to St. John the
Almoner a large sum of money to be dispensed in alms,
for the purpose of obtaining from God a long life for
his only son. The son died in a short time. The father
complained of the death of his son ; but, to console him,
the Lord sent an angel to say to him : " You have sought
a long life for your son, and the Lord has heard your
prayer ; for your son is in heaven, where he enjoys
eternal life." This is the grace which, according to the
promise of the prophet Osee, the Redeemer obtained
for us. " 0 death, I will be thy death." (xiii. 14.) By
90
SERMON XI.
his redemption, Jesus Christ destroyed death, and
changed it into a source of life to us. When St. Pionius,
martyr, was asked how he could go to death with sc
much joy, he answered: " You err; I do not go to death
but to life." " Erratis non ad mortem, sed ad vitam con-
tendo." (Apud Eusub., lib. iv. cap. xiv ) Thus also St.
Symphorosa exhorted her son, St. Symphorian, to mar
tyrdom : " My son," said she, " life is not taken away
from you; it is only changed for a better one."
14. St. Augustine says, that they who love God desire
to see him speedily, and that, therefore, to them life is
a cause of suffering, and death an occasion of joy.
"Patienter vivit, delectabiliter moritur." (Trac. ix. in
Ep. Joan.) St. Teresa used to say, that to her life was
death. Hence she composed the celebrated hymn, " I
die because I dp not die." To that great servant of God
D. Sancia Carriglio — a penitent of Father M. Avila — it
was one day revealed, that she had but a year to live ;
she answered : " Alas ! must I remain another year at a
distance from God? O sorrowful year, which will
appear to me longer than an age." Such is the language
of souls who love God from their heart. It is a mark
of little love of God not to desire to see him speedily.
15. Some of you will say : I desire to go to God, but
I fear death. I am afraid of the assaults which I shall
then experience from hell. I find that the saints have
trembled at the hour of death ; how much more ought
I to tremble ! I answer : It is true that hell doos not
cease to assail even the saints at death, but it is also true
that God does not cease to assist his servants at that
moment ; and when the dangers are increased, ho mul
tiplies his helps. " Ibi plus auxilii," says St. Ambrose,
" ubi plus periculi." (ad Jos. cap. v.) The servant of
Eliseus was struck with terror when he saw the city
surrounded by enemies ; but the saint inspired him with
courage by showing to him a multitude of angels sent
by God to defend it. Hence the prophet afterwards
said : " Fear not, for there are more with us than with
them." (4 Kings vi. 16.) The powers of hell will assail
the dying Christian ; but his angel guardian will come
to console him. His patrons, and St. Michael, who has
been appointed by God to defend his faithful servants
DEATH OF THE JUST. 91
in their last combat with the devils, will come to his aid.
The mother of God will come to assist those who have
been devoted to her. Jesus Christ shall come to defend
from the assaults of hell the souls for which he died on
a cross : he will give them confidence and strength to
resist every attack. Hence, filled with courage, they
will say: "The Lord is my light and my salvation:
whom shall I fear?" (Isa. xxvi. I.) Truly has Origen
said, that the Lord is more desirous of our salvation
than the devil is of our perdition, because God's love
for us far surpasses the devil's hatred of our souls.
" Major ilia cura est, ut nos ad veram pertrahat salutem,
quam diabolo, ut nos ad a3ternam damnationem impellat."
(Horn, xx.)
16. God is faithful, he will never permit us to be
tempted above our strength : " Fidelis Deus non patietur
vos tentari supra id quod potestis." (1 Cor. x. 13.) It is
true that some saints have suffered great fear at the
hour of death ; but they have been few. The Lord, as
Belluacensis says, has permitted this fear to cleanse them
at death from some defect. " Justi quandoque dure
moriendo purgantur in hoc mundo." But we know that,
generally speaking, the saints have died with a joyful
countenance. Father Joseph Scamacca, a man of a holy
life, being asked if, in dying, he felt confidence in God,
answered : Have I served Mahomet, that I should now
doubt of the goodness of my God, or of his wish to save
me ? Ah ! the Lord knows well how to console his
servants in their last moments. Even in the midst of
the agony of death, he infuses into their souls a certain
sweetness and a certain foretaste of that happiness which
he will soon bestow upon them. As they who die in sin
begin to experience from the bed of death a certain fore
taste of hell — certain extraordinary terrors, remorses,
and fits of despair ; so, on the other hand, the saints, by
the fervent acts of divine love which they then make,
and by the confidence and the desire which they feel of
soon seeing God, taste, before death, that peace which
they shall afterwards fully enjoy in heaven.
17. Father Suarez died with so much peace, that in
his last moments he said : " I could not have imagined
that death was so sweet." Being advised by his
92 SERMON XT.
physician not to fix his thoughts so constantly on death,
Cardinal Baronius said: Is it lest the fear of death should
shorten my life ? I fear not ; on the contrary, I love
and desiie death. Of the Cardinal Bishop of Rochester,
Saunders relates, that, in preparing to die for the faith,
he put on his best clothes, saying that ho was going to
a nuptial feast. When he came within view of the
place of execution, he threw away his staff, and said :
O my feet, walk fast ; for we are not far from Paradise.
" Ite pedes, parum a paradiso distamus." Before death,
he wished to recite the TE DEUM, in thanksgiving to
God for permitting him to die for the holy faith ; and,
full of joy, he laid his head on the block. St. Francis of
Assisium began to sing at the hour of death. Brother
Elias said to him: Father, at the hour of death, we ought
rather to weep than to sing. But, replied the saint, I
cannot abstain from singing at the thought of soon going
to enjoy God. A nun of the order of St. Teresa, in her
last moments, said to her sisters in religion, who were in
tears: O God! why do you weep? I am going to
possess my Jesus ; if you love me, weep not, but rejoice
with me. (Dis. Parol. i. § 6.)
18. Father Granada relates, that a certain sportsman
found in a wood a solitary singing in his last agony.
How, said the sportsman, can you sing in such a state ?
The hermit replied: Brother, between me and God there
is nothing but the wall of this body. I now see that
since my flesh is falling in pieces, the prison shall be
destroyed, and I shall soon go to see God. It is for
this reason I rejoice and sing. Through the desire of
seeing God, St. Ignatius, martyr, said, that if the wild
beasts should spare him, he would provoke them to
devour him. "Ego vim faciam, ut devorer." St.
Catherine of Genoa was astonished that some persons
regarded death as a misfortune, and said : " O beloved
death, in what a mistaken light do men view you ! Why
do you not come to me ? 1 call on you day and ni^ht "
(Yita, c. 7.)
19. Oh ! how peculiarly happy is the death of the
servants of Mary ! Father Binetti relates, that a person
whom he assisted in his last moments, and who was
devoted to the Blessed Virgin, said to him : " Father,
IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION.
93
you cannot conceive the consolation which arises at
death from the remembrance of having served Mary.
Ah ! my father, if you knew what happiness I feel on
account of having served this good mother ! I cannot
express it." What joy shall the lovers of Jesus Christ
experience at his coming to them in the most holy
viaticum ! Happy the soul that can then address her
Saviour in the words which St. Philip Neri used when
the viaticum was brought to him : " Behold my love !
behold my love ! give me my love !" But, to entertain
these sentiments at death, we must have ardently loved
Jesus Christ during life.
SERMON XII.— SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY.
On the importance of salvation.
" He sent them into his vineyard."— MATTHEW xx. 2
THE vines of the Lord are our souls, which he has given
us to cultivate by good works, that we may be one day
admitted into eternal glory. "How," says Salvian,
" does it happen that a Christian believes, and still docs
not fear the future?" Christians believe death, judg
ment, hell, and Paradise: but they live as if they
believed them not— as if these truths of faith were tables
or the inventions of human genius. Many live as it
they were never to die, or as if they had not to give
God an account of their life— as if there were neither^
hell nor a heaven. Perhaps they do not believe in
them? They believe, but do not reflect on them ; and
thus they are lost. They take all possible care of worldly
affairs, but attend not to the salvation of their souls. 1
shall show you, this day, that the salvation of your souls
is the most important of all affairs.
First Point.— Because, if the soul is lost, all is lost
Second Point.— Because, if the soul is lost once, it is
lost for ever.
First Point.— If the soul is lost, all is lost.
SERMON XI T.
1. "But," says St. Paul, "we entreat you .... that
you do your own business." (1 Thess. iv. 10, 11.) The
greater part of worldlings are most attentive to the
business of this world. What diligence do they not
employ to gain a law-suit or a post of emolument !
How many means are adopted — how many measures
taken? They neither eat nor sleep. And what efforts
do they make to save their souls ? All blush at being
told that they neglect the affairs of their families ; and
how few are ashamed to neglect the salvation of their
souls. " Brethren," says St. Paul, « I entreat you that
you do your own business ;" that is, the business of your
eternal salvation.
2. "JSTugcc puerorum," says St. Bernard, " nuga)
vocantur, nuga) malorum negotia vocantur." The
trifles of children ^ are called trifles, but the trifles of
men are called business ; and for these many lose their
souls. If in one worldly transaction you suffer a loss,
you may repair it in another; but if you die in enmity
with God, and lose your soul, how can you repair the
loss ? " What exchange can a man give for his soul:"
(Matt. xvi. 26.) To those who neglect the care of sal
vation, St. Euterius says : " Quam pretiosus sis, 0 homo,
si Creatori non credis, interroga Redemptorem." (Horn.
ii. in Symb.) If, from being created by God to his own
image, you do not comprehend the value of your soul,
learn it from Jesus Christ, who has redeemed you with
his own blood. " You were not redeemed with cor
ruptible things, as gold or silver, but with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and
undefiled." (1 Pet. i. 18, 19.)
3. God, then, sets so high a value on your soul ;
such is its value in the estimatien of Satan, that, to
become master of it, he does not sleep night or day,
but is continually going about to make it his own.
Hence St. Augustine exclaims : " The enemy sleeps not,
and you are asleep." The enemy is always awake to
injure you, and you slumber. Pope Benedict the
Twelfth, being asked by a prince for a favour which
he could not conscientiously grant, said to the ambas
sador : Tell the prince, that, if I had two souls, I might
be able to lose one of them in order to please him ;
TMP011TAXCE OF SALVATION. 95
but, since I have but one, I cannot consent to lose it.
Thus lie refused the favour which the prince sought
from him.
4. Brethren, remember that, if you save your souls,
your failure in every worldly transaction will be but of
little importance : for, if you are saved, you shall enjoy
complete happiness for all eternity. But, if you lose
your _ souls, what will it profit you to have enjoyed all
the riches, honours, and amusements of this world ? If
you lose your souls, all is lost. " What doth it profit
a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss
of his_own soul ?" (Matt. xvi. 26.) By this maxim St.
Ignatius of Loyola drew many souls to God, and among
them the soul of St. Francis Xavier, who was then
at Paris, and devoted his attention to the acquirement
of worldly goods. One day St, Ignatius said to him :
" Francis, whom do you serve ? You serve the world,
which is a traitor, that promises, but does not perform.
And if it should fulfil all its promises, how long do
its goods last ? Can they last longer than this life ?
And, after death, what will they profit you, if you shall
not have saved your soul ?" He then reminded Francis
of the maxims of the Gospel: "What doth it profit
a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss
of his own soul ?" " But one thing is necessary ?"
(Luke x. 42.) It is not necessary to become rich on
this earth — to acquire honours and dignities ; but it is
necessary to save our souls ; because, unless we gain
heaven we shall be condemned to hell: there is no
middle place : we must be either saved or damned.
God has not created us for this earth ; neither does he
preserve our lives that we may become rich and enjoy
amusements. "And the end life everlasting." (Horn,
vi. 22.) He has created us, and preserved us, that we
may acquire eternal glory.
5. St. Philip Neri used to say, that he who does not
seek, above all _ things, the salvation of his soul, is a
fool. If on this earth there were two classes of men,
one mortal, and the other immortal, and if the former
saw the latter entirely devoted to the acquisition of
earthly goods, would they not exclaim : O fools that
you are ! You have it in your power to secure the
96 SERMON XII.
immense and eternal goods of Paradise, and you lose
your time in procuring the miserable goods of this earth,
which shall end at death. And for these you expose
yourselves to the danger of the eternal torments of hell.
Leave to us, for whom all shall end at death, the care
of these earthly things. But, brethren, we are all
immortal, and each of us shall be eternally happy or
eternally miserable in the other life. But the misfor
tune of the greater part of mankind is, that they are
solicitous about the present, and never think of the,
future. " Oh ! that they would be wise, and would
understand, and would provide for their last end."
(Deut. xxxii. 29.) Oh ! that they knew how to detach
themselves from present goods, which last but a short
time, and to provide for what must happen after death
—an eternal reign in heaven, or everlasting slavery in
hell. St. Philip Neri, conversing one day with Francis
Zazzera, a young man of talent who expected to make
a fortune in the world, said to him : " You shall realize
a great fortune; you shall be a prelate, afterwards a car
dinal, and in the end, perhaps, pope. But what must
follow? what must follow? Go, my son, think on these
words." The young man departed, and after meditating
on the words, what mustfolloiv? ivhat must follow? he
renounced his worldly prospects, andgave himself entirely
to God; and, retiring from the world, he entered into the
congregation of St. Philip, and died a holy death.
(3. " The fashion of this world passeth away." (i Cor.
vii. 31.) On this passage, Cornelius a Lapide, says, that
" the world is as it were a stage." The present life is a
comedy, which passes away. Happy the man who acts
his part well in this comedy by saving his soul. But if
he shall have spent his life in the acquisition of riches
and worldly honours, he shall justly be called a fool ;
and at the hour of death he shall receive the reproach
addressed to the rich man in the gospel : " Fool, this
night do they require thy soul of thee ; and^ whose shall
these things be which thou hast provided?" (Luke xii
20.) In explaining the words " they require/' Toletus
says, that the Lord has given us our souls to guard
them against the assaults of our enemies ; and that at
death the angel shall come to require them of us, and
IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION. 97
shall present them at the tribunal of Jesus Christ. But
it we shall have lost our souls by attending only to the
acquisition of earthly possessions, these shall belong to
us no longer— they shall pass to other hands: and what
shall then become of our souls ?
7. Poor worldlings ! of all the riches which they
acquired, of all the pomps which they displayed in this
life, what shall they find at death ? «' They have slept
their sleep : and all the men of riches have found
nothing in their hands." (Ps. Ixxv. 6.) The dream of
this present life shall be over at death, and they shall
have acquired nothing for eternity. Ask of so many
great men of this earth— of the princes and emperors,
who, during life, have abounded in riches, honours, and
pleasures, and are at this moment in hell— what now
remains of all the riches which they possessed in this
world ? They answer with tears: " Nothing, nothing.'-1
And of so many honours enjoyed — of so many past plea
sures—of so many pomps and triumphs, what now re
mains ? They answer with howling : " Nothing, nothing."
8. Justly, then, has St. Francis Xavier said, that in
the world there is but one good and one evil. The
former consists in saving our souls ; the latter in losing
them. Hence, David said: " One thing I have asked of
the Lord ; this I will seek after— that I may dwell in
the house of the Lord." (Ps. xxvi. 4.) One thing only
have I sought, and will for ever seek, from God— that
he may grant me the grace to save my soul ; for, if I
save my soul, all is safe ; if I lose it, all is lost. And,
what is more important, if my soul be once lost, it is lost
for ever. Let us pass to the second point.
Second Point. If the soul be once lost, it is lost for ever.
9. Men die but once. If a Christian died twice, he
might lose his soul the first, and save it the second time.
But we can die only once : if the soul be lost the first
time, it is lost for ever. This truth St. Teresa frequently
inculcated to her nuns: "One soul," she would say, "one
eternity." As if she said : We have but one soul : if
this be lost, all is lost. There is but " one eternity ;" if the
soul be once lost, it is lost for ever. " Periisse semel
seternum est."
98
SERMON XII.
10. St. Eucherius says that there is no error so great
as the neglect of eternal salvation. " Sane supra omnem
errorem est dissimulare negotium aeternoe salutis." It is
an error which surpasses all errors, hecause it is irreme
diable. Other mistakes may be repaired : if a person
loses property in one way, he may acquire it in another ;
if he loses a situation, a dignity, he may afterwards re
cover them ; if he even loses his life, provided his soul
be saved, all is safe. But he who loses his soul has no
means of repairing the loss. The wailing of the damned
arises from the thought, that for them the time of salva
tion is over, and that there is no hope of remedy for their
eternal ruin. " The summer is ended, and we are not
saved." (Jer. viii. 20.) Hence they weep, and shall
inconsolably weep for ever, saying: " Therefore we have
erred from the way of truth, and the light of justice hath
not shined unto us." (Wis. v. 6.) But what will it
profit them to know the error they have committed,
when it will be too late to repair it ?
11. The greatest torment of the damned arises from
the thought of having lost their souls, and of having
lost them through their own fault. " Destruction is thy
own, O Israel ; thy help is only from me." (Osee xiii. 9.)
O miserable being ! God says to each of the damned ;
thy perdition is thine own ; that is from thyself ; by sin
thou hast been the cause of thy damnation ; for I was
ready to save thee if thou hadst wished to attend to thy
salvation. St. Teresa used to say, that when a person
loses a trifle through negligence, his peace is disturbed
by the thought of having lost it through his own fault.
O God ! what shall be the pain which each of the damned
shall feel on entering into hell, at the thought of having
lost his soul — his all — and of having lost them through
his own fault !
12. "We must, then, from this day forward, devote all
our attention to the salvation of our souls. There is no
question, says St. John Chrysostom, of losing some
earthly good which we must one day relinquish. But
there is question of losing Paradise, and of going to
suffer for ever in hell : " De immortalibus suppliciis,
de coalestis regni amissione res agitur." We must fear
and tremble ; it is thus we shall be able to secure eternal
UNHAPPY LIFE OF SINNERS. 99
happiness. " With fear and trembling work out your
salvation.5' (Phil. ii. 12.) Hence, if we wish to save our
souls,^ we must labour strenuously to avoid dangerous
occasions, to resist temptations, and to frequent the
sacraments. Without labour we cannot obtain heaven.
' The violent bear it away." The saints tremble at the
thought of eternity. St. Andrew Avellino exclaimed
with tears : Who knows whether I shall be saved or
damned ? St. Lewis Bertrand said with trembling :
What shall be my lot in the other world ? And shall
we not tremble ? Let us pray to Jesus Christ and his
most holy mother to help us to save our souls. This is
for us the most important of all affairs : if we succeed in
it, we shall be eternally happy ; if we fail, we must be
for ever miserable.
SERMON XIIL-SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY.
On the unhappy life of sinners, and on the happy life of
those who love God.
" And that which fell among the thorns are they who have heard,
and, going their way, are choked with the cares and riches of this
life, and yield no fruit." — LUKE viii. 14.
IN the parable of this day's gospel we are told that part
of the seed which the sower went out to sow fell among
thorns. The Saviour has declared that the seed repre
sents the divine word, and the thorns the attachment of
men to earthly riches and pleasures, which are the thorns
that prevent the fruit of the word of God, not only in
the future, but even in the present life. 0 misery of
poor sinners ! By their sins they not only condemn
themselves to eternal torments in the next, but to an
unhappy life in this world. This is what I intend to
demonstrate in the following discourse.
First Point. The unhappy life of sinners.
Second Point. Happy life of those who love God.
100 SERMON XIII.
First Point. Unhappy life of sinners.
1. The devil deceives sinners, and makes them imagine
that, hy indulging their sensual appetites, they shall lead
a life of happiness, and shall enj oy peace. But there is no
peace for those who offend God. " There is no peace to
the wicked, saith the Lord.'' (Isa. xlviii. 22.) God
declares that all his enemies have led a life of misery,
and that they have not even known the way of peace.
" Destruction and unhappiness in their ways : and the
way of peace they have not known." (Ps. xiii. 3.)
2. Brute animals that have been created for this
world, enjoy peace in sensual delights. Give to a dog
a bone, and he is perfectly content ; give to an ox a
bundle of hay, and he desires nothing more. But man,
who has been created for God, to love God, and to be
united to him, can be made happy only by God, and
not by the world, though it should enrich him with all
its goods. What are worldly goods ? They may be
all reduced to pleasures of sense, to riches, and to
honours. " All that is in the world," says St. John,
" is the concupiscence of the flesh," or sensual delights,
tl and the concupiscence of the eyes," or riches, " and
the pride of life"— that is, earthly honours. (1 John ii.
16.) St. Bernard says, that a man may be puffed up with
earthly goods, but can never be made content or happy
by them. " Inflari potcst, satiari, non potest." And
how can earth and wind and dung satisfy the heart of
man ? In his comment on these words of St. Peter —
" Behold, we have left all things"— the same saint says,
that he saw in the world different classes of fools. All
had a great desire of happiness. Some, such as the
avaricious, were content with riches; others, Ambitious
of honours and of praise, were satisfied with wind;
others, seated round a furnace, swallowed the sparks
that were thrown from it— these were the passionate and
vindictive ; others, in fine, drank fetid water from a
stagnant pool — and these were the voluptuous and un
chaste. O fools ! adds the saint, do you not perceive
that all these things, from which you seek content, do
not satisfy, but, on the contrary, increase the cravings
of your heart ? " Haec potius famem provocant, quam
extinguunt." Of this we have a striking example in
UNHAPPY LIFE OF SINNERS. 101
Alexander the Great, who, after having conquered half
the world, burst into tears, because he was not master
of the whole earth.
3. Many expect to find peace in accumulating riches ;
but how can these satisfy their desires ? " Major
pecunia," says St. Augustine, " avaritire fauces non
claudit, sed extendit." A large quantity of money does
not close, but rather extends, the jaws of avarice ; — that
is, the enjoyment of riches excites, rather than satiates,
the desire of wealth. " Thou wast debased even to
hell ; thou hast been wearied in the multitude of thy
ways ; yet thou saidst not, I will rest. (Isa. Ivii. 9, 10.)
Poor worldlings ! they labour and toil to acquire an
increase of wealth and property, but never enjoy
repose : the more they accumulate riches, the greater
their disquietude and vexation. " The rich have
wanted, and have suffered hunger ; but they that seek
the Lord shall not be deprived of any good/' (Ps.
xxxiii. 11.) The rich of this world are, of all men, the
most miserable ; because, the more they possess, the
more they desire to possess. They never succeed in
attaining all the objects of their wishes, and therefore
they are far poorer than men who have but a com
petency, and seek God alone. These are truly rich,
because they are content with their condition, and find
in God every good. " They that seek the Lord shall
not be deprived of any good." To the saints, because
they possess God, nothing is wanting ; to the worldly
rich, who are deprived of God, all things are wanting,
because they want peace. The appellation of tool was,
therefore, justly given to the rich man in the gospel
(Luke xii. 19), who, because his land brought forth
plenty of fruits, said to his soul : " Soul, thou hast much
goods laid up for many years : take rest, eat, drink,
make good cheer." (Luke xii. 19.) But this man was
called a fool. " Thou fool, this night do they require
thy soul of thee ; and whose shall those things be which
thou hast provided ?" (v. 20.) And why was he called
a fool. Because he imagined that by these goods — by
eating and drinking — he should be content, and should
enjoy peace. "Rest," he said, " eat, drink." "Num-
quid, says St. Basil of Seleucia, "animam porcinam
102 SERMON XIII.
habes ?" Hast thou the soul of a brute, that thou ex-
pectest to make it happy by eating and drinking ?
4. But, perhaps sinners who seek after and attain
worldly honours are content ? All the honours of this
earth are but smoke and wind (" Ephraim feedeth on
the wind" — Osee xii. 1), and how can these content the
heart of a Christian ? " The pride of them," says
David, " ascendeth continually." (Ps. Ixxiii. 23.) The
ambitious are not satisfied by the attainment of certain
honours : their ambition and pride continually increase ;
and thus their disquietude, their envy, and their fears
are multiplied.
5. They who live in the habit of sins of impurity,
feed, as the Prophet Jeremiah says, on dung. " Qui
voluptuose vescebantur, amplexati sunt stercora." (Thren.
iv. 5.) How can dung content or give peace to the
soul ? Ah ! what peace, what peace can sinners at a
distance from God enjoy ? They may possess the riches,
honours, and delights of this world ; but they never shall
have peace. No ; the word of God cannot fail : he has
declared that there is no peace for his enemies. " There
is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord/' (Isaias,
xlviii. 22.) Poor sinners ! they, as St. Chrysostom says,
always carry about with them their own executioner —
that is, a guilty conscience, which continually torments
them. " Peccator conscientiam quasi carnificem circum-
gestat." (Serm. x. do Laz.) St. Isidore asserts, that
there is no pain more excruciating than that of a guilty
conscience. Hence he adds, that he who leads a good
life is never sad. " Nulla poena gravior poena con-
scientiso : vis nunquam esse tristis ? bene vive." (S. Isid.,
lib. 2, Solit.)
6. In describing the deplorable state of sinners, the
Holy Ghost compares them, to a sea continually tossed
by the tempest. " The wicked are like the raging sea,
which cannot rest." (Isa. Ivii. 20.) Waves come and go,
but they are all waves of bitterness and rancour ; for
every cross and contradiction disturbs and agitates the
wicked. If a person at a ball or musical exhibition,
were obliged to remain suspended by a cord with his
head downwards, could he feel happy at the entertain
ment ? Such is the state of a Christian in enmity with
UNHAPPY LIFE OF SINNERS. 103
God : his soul is as it were turned upside down ; instead
of being united with God and detached from creatures,
it is united with creatures and separated from God.
But creatures, says St. Yincent Ferrer, are without, and
do not enter to content the heart, which God alone can
make happy. «'Non intrant ibi ubi est sitis." The
sinner is like a man parched with thirst, and standing in
the middle of a fountain: because the waters which
surround him do not enter to satisfy his thirst, he
remains in the midst of them more thirsty than before.
7. Speaking of the unhappy life which he led when
he was in a state of sin, David said : " My tears have
been my bread, day and night, whilst it is said to me
daily : Where is thy God ?" (Ps. xli. 4.) To relieve
himself, he went to his villas, to his gardens, to musical
entertainments, and to various other royal amusements,
but they all said to him: "David, if thou expectest
comfort from us, thou art deceived. "Where is thy God?
Go and seek thy God, whom thou hast lost ; for he
alone can restore thy peace." Hence David confessed
that, in the midst of his princely wealth, he enjoyed no
repose, and that he wept night and day. Let us now
listen to his son Solomon, who acknowledged that he
indulged his senses in whatsoever they desired. "What
soever my eyes desired, I refused them not." (Eccl. ii.
10.) But, after all his sensual enjoyments, he exclaimed:
" Vanity of vanities :... behold all is vanity and affliction
of spirit." (Eccles. i. 2 and 14.) Mark! he declares
that all the pleasures of this earth are not only vanity
of vanities, but also affliction of spirit. And this sinners
well know from experience ; for sin brings with it the
fear of divine vengeance. The man who is encompassed
by powerful enemies never sleeps in peace ; and can the
sinner, who has God for an enemy, enjoy tranquillity ?
" Fear to them that work evil." (Prov. x. 29.) The
Christian who commits a mortal sin feels himself
oppressed with fear — every leaf that moves excites
terror. " The sound of dread is always in his ears."
(Job xv. 21.) He appears to be always flying away,
although no one pursues him. " The wicked man fleeth
when no man pursueth." (Prov. xxviii. 1.) He shall
be persecuted, not by men, but by his own sin. It was
104 SERMON XIII.
thus with Cain, who, after having killed his brother
Abel, was seized with fear, and said : " Every one, there
fore, that findeth me shall kill me." (Gen. iv. 14.) The
Lord assured him that no one should injure him : " The
Lord said to him : " No ; it shall not be so/' (v. 15.)
I3ut, notwithstanding this assurance, Cain, pursued by
his own sins, was, as the Scripture attests, always flying
from one place to another " He dwelt a fugitive on the
earth." (v. 16.)
8. Moreover, sin brings with it remorse of conscience
— that cruel worm that gnaws incessantly, and never
dies. " Their worm shall not die." (Isa Ixvi. 24.) If
the sinner goes to a festival, to a comedy, to a banquet,
his conscience continually reproaches him, saying: Un
happy man ! you have lost God ; if you were now to
die, what should become of you ? The torture of re
morse of conscience, even in the present life, is so great
that, to free themselves from it, some persons have put
an end to their lives Judas, through despair, hanged
himself. A certain man who had killed an infant, was
so much tormented with remorse that he could not rest.
To rid himself of it he entered into a monastery ; but
finding no peace even there, he went before u judge,
acknowledged his crime, and got himself condemned to
death.
9. God complains of the injustice of sinners in leaving
him, who is the fountain of all consolation, to plunge
themselves into fetid and broken cisterns, which can
give no peace. " For my people have done two evils ;
they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and
have digged to themselves cisterns — broken cisterns —
that can hold no water." (Jer. ii. 13.) You have, the
Lord says to sinners, refused to serve me, your God, in
peace. Unhappy creatures ! you shall serve your
enemies in hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and in
want of every kind. " Because thou didst not serve the
Lord thy God with joy and gladness, .... thou shalt
serve thy enemy in hunger, and thirst, and 'nakedness,
and in want of all things." (Deut. xxviii. 47, 48.) This
is what sinners experience every day. What do not the
vindictive endure after they have satisfied their revenge
by the murder of an enemy ? • They fly continually
UNHAPPY LIFE OF SINNERS. 105
from the relations of their murdered foe, and from the
minister of justice. They live as fugitives, poor, afflicted,
and abandoned by all. What do not the voluptuous
and unchaste suffer in order to gratify their wicked
desires ? "What do not the avaricious suffer in order to
acquire the possessions of others ? Ah ! if they suffered
for God what they suffer for sin, they would lay up great
treasures for eternity, and would lead a life of peace and
happiness : but, by living in sin, they lead a life of
misery here, to lead a still more miserable life for eter
nity hereafter. Hence they weep continually in hell,
saying : " We wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity
and destruction, and have walked through hard ways."
(Wis. v. 7.) We have, they exclaim, walked through
hard ways, through paths covered with thorns. We
wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity : we have
laboured hard : we have sweated blood : we have led a
life full of misery, of gall, and of poison. And why ?
To bring ourselves to a still more wretched life in this
pit of fire.
Second Point. The happy life of those who love God.
10. '* Justice and peace have kissed." (Ps. Ixxxiv. 11.)
Peace resides in every soul in which justice dwells.
Hence David said : " Delight in the Lord, and he will
give thee the requests of thy heart." (Ps. xxxvi. 4.) To
understand this text, we must consider that worldlings
seek to satisfy the desires of their hearts with the goods
of this earth ; but, because these cannot make them
happy, their hearts continually make fresh demands ;
and, how much soever they may acquire of these goods,
they are not content. Hence the Prophet says :
" Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests
of thy heart." Give up creatures, seek your delight in
God, and he will satisfy all the cravings of your heart.
11. This is what happened to St. Augustine, who, as
long as he sought happiness in creatures, never enjoyed
peace ; but, as soon as he renounced them, and gave to
God all the affections of his heart, he exclaimed : " All
things are hard, O Lord, and thou alone art repose." As
if he said : Ah ! Lord, I now know my folly. I expected
to find felicity in earthly pleasures ; but now I know
106 SERMON XIII.
that they are only vanity and affliction of spirit, and that
thou alone art the peace and joy of our hearts.
12. The Apostle says, that the peace which God gives
to those who love, surpasses all the sensual delights
which a man can enjoy on this earth. " The peace of
God, which surpasseth all understanding.'' (Phil. iv. 7.)
St. Francis of Assisium, in saying " My God and my all,"
experienced on this earth an anticipation of Paradise.
St. Francis Xavier, in the midst of his labours in India
for the glory of Jesus Christ, was so replenished with
divine consolations, that he exclaimed: "Enough, 0
Lord, enough." Where, I ask, has any lover of this
world been found, so satisfied with the possessions of
worldly goods, as to say : Enough, O world, enough ; no
more riches, no more honours, no more applause, no
more pleasures ? Ah, no ! worldlings are constantly
seeking after higher honours, greater riches, and new
delights ; but the more they have of them, the less are
their desires satisfied, and the greater their disquietude.
13. It is necessary to persuade ourselves of this truth,
that God alone can give content. "Worldlings do not
wish to be convinced of it, through an apprehension
that, if they give themselves to God, they shall lead a
life of bitterness and discontent. But, with the Royal
Prophet, I say to them : " 0 taste, and see that the Lord
is sweet." (Ps. xxxiii. 9.) Why, 0 sinners, will you de
spise and regard as miserable that life which you have
not as yet tried ? " 0 taste and see." Begin to make
a trial of it ; hear Mass every day ; practise mental
prayer and the visitation of the most holy sacrament ;
go to communion at least once a week ; fly from evil
conversations ; walk always with God ; and you shall
see that, by such a life, you will enjoy that sweetness
and peace which the world, with all its delights, has not
hitherto been able to give you.
DELUSIONS OF SINNERS. 107
SERMON XIY.— QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY.
Delusions of sinners.
"Lord, that I may see." — LUKE xviii. 41.
1. THE Devil brings sinners to hell by closing their eyes
to the dangers of perdition. He first blinds them, and
then leads them with himself to eternal torments. If,
then, we wish to be saved, we must continually pray to
God in the words of the blind man in the gospel of this
day, " Lord, that I may see." Give me light: make me
see the way in which I must walk in order to save my
soul, and to escape the deceits of the enemy of salvation.
I shall, brethren, this day place before your eyes the
delusion by which the devil tempts men to sin and to
persevere in sin, that you may know how to guard
yourselves against his deceitful artifices.
2. To understand these delusions better, let us imagine
the case of a young man who, seized by some passion,
lives in sin, the slave of Satan, and never thinks of his
eternal salvation. My son, I say to him, what sort of
life do you lead ? If you continue to live in this manner,
how will you be able to save your soul ? But, behold !
the devil, on the other hand, says to him: Why should
you be afraid of being lost ? Indulge your passions for
the present: you will afterwards confess your sins, and
thus all shall be remedied. Behold the net by which
the devil drags so many souls into hell. " Indulge your
passions : you will hereafter make a good confession."
But, in reply, I say, that in the meantime you lose your
soul. Tell me : if you had a jewel worth a thousand
pounds, would you throw it into a river with the hope
of afterwards finding it again ? What if all your efforts
to find it were fruitless ? 0 God ! you hold in your
hand the invaluable jewel of your soul, which Jesus
Christ has purchased with his own blood, and you cast
it into hell ! Yes ; you cast it into hell ; because accord
ing to the present order of providence, for every mortal
sin you commit, your name is written among the num
ber of the damned. But you say . " I hope to recover
103 SERMON* XIV.
God's grace by making a good confession." And if you
should not recover it, what shall be the consequences ?
To make a good confession, a true sorrow for sin is
necessary, and this sorrow is the gift of God : if he does
not give it, will you not be lost for ever ?
3. You rejoin : " I am young; God compassionates my
youth ; I will hereafter give myself to God." Behold
another delusion ! You are young ; but do you not
know that God counts, not the years, but the sins of each
individual ? You are young ; but how many sins have
you committed ? Perhaps there are many persons of a
very advanced age, who have not been guilty of the
fourth part of the sins which you have committed. And
do you not know that God has fixed for each of us the
number of sins which he will pardon ? " The Lord
patiently expecteth, that, when the day of judgment
shall come, he may punish them in the fulness of their
sins." (2 Mach. vi. 14.) God has patience, and waits
for a while ; but, when the measure of the sins which he
has determined to pardon is tilled up, he pardons no
more, but chastises the sinner, by suddenly depriving
him of life in the miserable state of sin, or by abandon
ing him in his sin, and executing that threat which he
made by the prophet Isaias — " I shall take away the
hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted." (Isa. v. 5.) If a
person has cultivated land for many years, has encom
passed it with a hedge for its protection, and expended
a large sum of money on it, but finds that, after all, it
produces no fruit, what will he do with it ? He will
pluck up the hedge, and abandon it to all men and beasts
that may wish to enter. Tremble, then, lest God should
treat you in a similar manner. If you do not give up sin,
your remorse of conscience and your fear of divine chas
tisement shall daily increase. Behold the hedge taken
away, and your soul abandoned by God — a punishment
worse than death itself.
4. You say: " I cannot at present resist this passion."
Behold the third delusion of the devil, by which he
makes you believe that at present you have not strength
to overcome certain temptations. But St. Paul tells us
that God is faithful, and that he never permits us to be
tempted above our strength. "And God is faithful,
DELUSIONS OF SINNERS.
109
who will not permit you to be tempted above that which
you are able." (1 Cor. x. 13.) I ask, if you are not now
able to resist the temptation, how can you expect to
resist it hereafter ? If you yield to it, the Devil will
become stronger, and you shall become weaker ; and if
you be not now able to extinguish this flame of passion,
how can you hope to be able to extinguish it when it
shall have grown more violent? You say: "God will
give me his aid." But this aid God is ready to give at
present if you ask it. "Why then do you not implore his
assistance ? Perhaps you expect that, without now tak
ing the trouble of invoking his aid, you will receive from
him increased helps and graces, after you shall have
multiplied the number of your sins ? Perhaps you doubt
the veracity of God, who has promised to give whatever
we ask of him ? " Ask," he says, " and it shall be
given you." (Matt. vii. 7.) God cannot violate his pro
mises. " God is not as man, that he should lie, nor as
the son of man, that he should be changed. Hath he
said, then, and will he not do ?" (Num. xxiii. 19.) Have
recourse to him, and he will give you the strength neces
sary to resist the temptation. God commands you to
resist it, and you say: " I have not strength." Does
God, then, command impossibilities ? No ; the Council
of Trent has declared that " God does not command
impossibilities; but, by his commands, he admonishes
you to do what you can, and to ask what you cannot do ;
and he assists, that you may be able to do it." (Seas. 6.
c. xiii.) When you see that you have not sufficient
strength to resist temptation with the ordinary assist
ance of God, ask of him the additional help which you
require, and he will give it to you ; and thus^ you shall
be able to conquer all temptations, however violent they
may be.
5. But you will not pray ; and you say that at present
you will commit this sin, and will afterwards confess it.
But, I ask, how do you know that God will give you
time to confess it ? You say: " I will go to confession
before the lapse of a week." And who has promised you
this week ? Well, then you say : " I will go to confession
to-morrow." And who promises you to-morrow ? ' ^ras-
tinum Deus non promisit," says St. Augustine, " fortasse
110 SERMON XIV.
dabit, ct fortasse non dabit." God has not promised you
to-morrow. Perhaps he will give it, and perhaps he
will refuse it to you, as he has to so many others. How
many have gone to bed in good health, and have been
found dead in the morning ! How many, in the very
act of sin, has the Lord struck dead and sent to hell !
Should this happen to you, how will you repair your
eternal ruin ? " Commit this sin, and confess it after
wards." Behold the deceitful artifice by which the devil
has brought so many thousands of Christians to hell.
We scarcely ever find a Christian so sunk in despair as
to intend to damn himself. All the wicked sin with the
hope of afterwards going to confession. But, by this
illusion, how many have brought themselves to perdi
tion ! For them there is now no time for confession, no
remedy for their damnation.
6. " But God is merciful." Behold another common
delusion by which the devil encourages sinners to perse
vere in a 'life of sin! A certain author has said, that
more souls have been sent to hell by the mercy of God
than by his justice. This is indeed the case ; for men
are induced by the deceits of the devil to persevere in
sin, through confidence in God's mercy ; and thus they
are lost. "God is merciful." Who denies it? But,
great as his mercy, how many does he every day send to
hell ? God is merciful, but he is also just, and is, there
fore, obliged to punish those who offend him. " And his
mercy," says the divine mother, " to them that fear
him." (Luke i. 50.) But with regard to those who
abuse his mercy and despise him, he exercises justice.
The Lord pardons sins, but he cannot pardon the deter
mination to commit sin. St. Augustine says, that he
who sins with the intention of repenting after his sins,
is not a penitent but a scoffer. " Irrisor est non pceni-
tens." But the Apostle tells us that God will not be
mocked. " Be not deceived ; God is not mocked." (Gal.
vi. 7.) It would be a mockery of God to insult him as
often and as much as you pleased, and afterwards to
expect eternal glory.
7. " But,'; you say, " as God has shown me so many
miseries hitherto, I hope he will continue to do so for the
future." Behold another delusion ! Then, because God
DELUSIONS OF SINNERS.
Ill
has not as yet chastised your sins, he will never punish
them ! On the contrary, the greater have been his
mercies, the more you should tremble, lest, if you offend
him again, he should pardon you no more, and should
take vengeance on your sins. Behold the advice of the
Holy Ghost : " Say not : I have sinned, and what harm
hath befallen me ? for the Most High is a patient re-
warder." (Eccles. v. 4.) Do not say : " I have sinned,
and no chastisement has fallen upon me." God bears for
a time, but not for ever. He waits for a certain time ;
but when that arrives, he then chastises the sinner for all
his past iniquities: and the longer he has waited for
repentance, the more severe the chastisement. " Quos
diutius expectat," says St. Gregory, " durius damnat."
Then, my brother, since you know that you have
frequently offended God, and that he has not sent you
to hell, you should exclaim : " The mercies of the Lord,
that we are not consumed." (Thren. iii. 22.) Lord, I
thank you for not having sent me to hell, which I have
so often deserved. And therefore you ought to give
yourself entirely to God, at least through gratitude, and
should consider that, for less sins than you have com
mitted, many are now in that pit of fire, without the
smallest hope of being ever released from it. The
patience of God in bearing with you, should teach you
not to despise him still more, but to love and serve him
with greater fervour, and to atone, by penitential austeri
ties and by other holy works, for the insults you have
offered to him. You know that he has shown mercies
to you, which he has not shown to others. " He hath
not done in like manner to every nation." (Ps. cxlvii.
20.) Hence you should tremble, lest, if you commit a
single additional mortal sin, God should abandon you,
and cast you into hell.
8. Let us come to the next illusion. " It is true that,
by this sin, I lose the grace of God ; but, even after com
mitting this sin, I may be saved." You may, indeed, be
saved : but it cannot be denied that if, after having
committed so many sins, and after having received so
many graces from God, you again offend him, there is
great reason to fear that you shall be lost. Attend to
the words of the sacred Scripture : " A hard heart shall
SERMON XV.
fare evil at the last." (Eccles. iii. 27.) The obstinate
sinner shall die an unhappy death. ' Evil doers shall
be cut off." (Ps. xxxvi. 9.) The wicked shall be cut oil
by the divine justice. " For what things a man shall
sow, those also shall he reap." (Gal. vi. 8.) He that sows
in sin, shall reap eternal torments. " Because I called
and you refused, I also will laugh in your destruc
tion and will mock when that shall come to you which
you feared." (Prov. i. 24, 26.) I called, says the Lord,
and you mocked me ; but I will mock you at the hour
of death. " Revenge is mine, and I will repay them m
dm time." (Dout. xxxii. 35.) The chastisement of sins
belongs to me, and I will execute vengeance on them
when the time of vengeance shall arrive. :< The man
that with a stiff neck despiseth him that reproveth him,
shall suddenly be destroyed, and health shall not follow
him." (Prov. xxix. 1.) The man who obstinately despises
those who correct him, shall be punished with a sudden
death, and for him there shall be no hope of salvation.
9. Now, brethren, what think you of these divine
threats against sinners ? Is it easy, or is it not very
difficult, to save your souls, if, after so many divine calls,
and after so many mercies, you continue to offend God ?
You say : " But after all, it may happen that I will save
my soul." I answer: "What folly is it to trust your
salvation to a perhaps ?" How many with this " per
haps I may be saved," are now in hell ? Do you wish
to be one of their unhappy companions ? Dearly beloved
Christians, enter into yourselves, and ^ tremble ; for this
sermon may be the last of God's mercies to you.
SERMON XV.— FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT.
On the number of sins beyond which God pardons no
more.
" Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." — MATT. iv. 7.
IN this day's gospel we read that, having gone into the
desert, Jesus Christ permitted the devil to " set him upon
NUMBER OF SINS WHICH GOD PARDONS. 113
the pinnacle of the temple," and say to him: "If thoube
the Son of God, cast thyself down ;" for the angels shall
preserve thee from all injury. But the Lord answered
that, in the Sacred Scriptures it is written : " Thou shalt
not tempt the Lord thy God." The sinner who abandons
himself to sin without striving to resist temptations, or
without at least asking God's help to conquer them, and
hopes that the Lord will one day draw him from the
precipice, tempts God to work miracles, or rather to show
to him an extraordinary mercy not extended to the
generality of Christians. God, as the Apostle says,
" will have all men to be saved," (1 Tim. ii. 4) ; but he
also wishes us all to labour for our own salvation, at
least by adopting the means of overcoming our enemies,
and of obeying him when he calls us to repentance.
Sinners hear the calls of God, but they forget them, and
continue to offend him. But God does not forget them.
He numbers the graces which he dispenses, as well ^ as
the sins which we commit. Hence, when the time which
he has fixed arrives, God deprives us of his graces, and
begins to inflict chastisement. I intend to show, in this
discourse, that, when sins reach a certain number, God
pardons no more. Be attentive,
1. St. Basil, St. Jerome, St. John Chrysostom, St.
Augustine, and other fathers, teach that, as God (accord
ing to the words of Scripture, " Thou hast ordered all
things in measure, and number, and weight " (Wis. xi.
21), has fixed for each person the number of the days of
his life, and the degrees of health and talent which he
will give him, so he has also determined for each the
number of sins which he will pardon ; and when this
number is completed, he will pardon no more. " Illud
sentire nos convenit," says St. Augustine, " tamdiu
unumquemque a Dei patientia sustineri, quo consum
mate nullam illi veniam reserveri." (De Vita Christi,
cap. iii.) Eusebius of Cesarea says : " Deus^ expectat
usque ad certum numerum et postea deserit." (Lib. 8,
cap. ii.) The same doctrine is taught by the above-
mentioned fathers.
2. " The Lord hath sent me to heal the contrite of
heart." (Isa. Ixi. 1.) God is ready to heal those who
sincerely wish to amend their lives, but cannot take
114 SERMON XV
pity on the obstinate sinner The Lord pardons sins,
but he cannot pardon those who are determined to
offend him. Nor can we demand from God a reason
why he pardons one a hundred sins, and takes others out
of life, and sends them to hell, after three or four tans.
By his Prophet Amos, God has said : " For three crimes
of Damascus, and for four, I will not convert it." (i. 3.)
In this we must adore the judgments of God, and say
with the Apostle : " 0 the depth of the riches, of the
wisdom, and of the knowledge of God ! How incom
prehensible are his judgments/' (Rom. xi. 33.) He who
receives pardon, says St. Augustine, is pardoned through
the pure mercy of God ; and they who are chastised are
justly punished. " Quibus datur misericordia, gratis
datur : quibus non datur ex justitia non datur." (1 de
Corrept.) How many has God sent to hell for the first
offence ? St. Gregory relates, that a child of five years,
who had arrived at the use of reason, for having uttered
a blasphemy, was seized by the devil and carried to hell.
The divine mother revealed to that great servant of God,
Benedicta of Florence, that a boy of twelve years was
damned after the first sin. Another boy of eight years
died after his first sin and was lost. You say : I am
young : there are many who have committed more sins
than I have. But is God on that account obliged to
wait for your repentance if you offend him ? In the
gospel of St. Matthew (xxi. 19) we read, that the Saviour
cursed a fig tree the first time he saw it without fruit.
" May no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever.
And immediately the fig tree withered away." You
must, then, tremble at the thought of committing a single
mortal sin, particularly if you have already been guilty
of mortal sins.
3. " Be not without fear about sins forgiven, and
add not sin to sin." (Eccl. v. 5.) Say not then, O sinner;
As God has forgiven me other sins, so he will pardon
me this one if I commit it. Say not this ; for, if to the
sin which has been forgiven you add another, you
have reason to fear that this new sin shall be united to
your former guilt, and that thus the number will be
completed, and that you shall be abandoned. Behold
how the Scripture unfolds this truth more clearly in
NUMBER OF SINS WHICH GOD PARDONS.
115
another place. " The Lord patiently expecteth, that
when the day of judgment shall come, he may punish
them in the fulness of sins." (2 Mac. vi. 14.) God waits
with patience until a certain number of sins is com
mitted, but, when the measure of guilt is filled up, he
waits no longer, but chastises the sinner. "Thou hast
sealed up my offences as it were in a bag." (Job xiv.
17.) Sinners multiply their sins without keeping any
account of them ; but God numbers them that, when the
harvest is ripe, that is, when the number of sins is com
pleted, he may take vengeance on them. " Put ye in
the sickles, for the harvest is ripe." (Joel iii. 13.)
4. Of this there are many examples in the Scriptures.
Speaking of the Hebrews, the Lord in one place says :
" All the men that have tempted me now ten times. . . .
shall not see the land/' (Num. xiv. 22, 23.) In another
place he says, that he restrained his vengeance against
the Amorrhites, because the number of their sins was
not completed. " For as yet the iniquities of the Amorr
hites are not 'j the full." (Gen. xv. 16.) We have
again the example of Saul, who, after having disobeyed
God a second time, was abandoned. He entreated
Samuel to interpose before the Lord in his behalf.
" Bear, I beseech thee, my sin, and return with me,
that I may adore the Lord," (1 Kings xv. 25.) But,
knowing that God had abandoned Saul, Samuel answered:
" I will not return with thee; because thou hast rejected
the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee,"
etc. (v. 26.) Saul, you have abandoned God, and he has
abandoned you. We have another example in Balthassar,
who, after having profaned the vessels of the temple,
saw a hand writing on the wall, "Mane, Thecel, Phares."
Daniel was requested to expound the meaning of these
words. In explaining the word Thecel, he said to the
king : 6t Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found
wanting." (Dan. v 27.) By this explanation he gave
the king to understand that the weight of his sins in the
balance of divine justice had made the scale descend.
" The same night, Balthassar, the Chaldean king, was
killed." (Dan. v. 30.) Oh ! how many sinners have met
with a similar fate ! Continuing to offend God till their
sins amounted to a certain number they have been
J16 SERMON XV.
struck dead and sent to hell. ' They spend their days
in wealth, and in a moment they go down to hell." (Job
xxi. 13.) Tremble, brethren, lest, if you commit another
mortal sin, God should cast you into hell.
5. If God chastised sinners the moment they insult
him, we should not see him so much ^ despised. But,
because he does not instantly punish their transgressions,
and because, through mercy, he restrains his anger and
waits for their return, they are encouraged to continue
to offend him. " For, because sentence is not speedily
pronounced against the evil, the children of men commit
evil without any fear." (Eccles. viii. 11.) But it is
necessary to be persuaded that, though God bears with
us, he does not wait, nor bear with us for ever. Expect
ing, as on former occasions, to escape from the snares of
the Philistines, Samson continued to allow himself to be
deluded by Dalila. " I will go out as I did before, and
shake myself.'' (Judges xvi. '20.) But " the Lord was
departed from him." Samson was at length taken by
liis enemies, and lost his life. The Lord warns you not
to say : I have committed so many sins, and God has not
chastised me " Say not : I have sinned, and what harm
hath befallen me ? for the Most High is a patient re-
warder." (Eccl. v. 4.) God has patience for a certain
term, after which he punishes the first and last sins.
And the greater has been his patience, the more severe
his vengeance
6. Hence, according to St. Chrysostom, God is more
to be feared when he bears with sinners than when he
instantly punishes their sins. " Plus timendum est, cum
tolerat quam cum festinanter punit." And why ?
Because, says St. Gregory, they to whom God has
shown most mercy, shall, if they do not cease to offend
him, be chastised with the greatest rigour. " Quos
diutius expectat durius damnat." The saint adds that
God often punishes such sinners with a sudden death,
and does not allow them time for repentance. " Sacpe
qui diu tolerati sunt subita morte rapiuntur, ut nee
Here ante mortem liceat." And the greater the light
which God gives to certain sinners for their correction,
the greater is their blindness and obstinacy in sin. "For
it had been better for them not to have known the way
NUMBER OF SINS WHICH GOD PARDONS. 117
of justice, than, after they had known it, to turn hack."
(2 Pet. ii. 21.) Miserable the sinners who, after having
been enlightened, return to the vomit. St Paul says,
that it is morally impossible for them to be again con
verted. " For it is impossible for those who were once
illuminated — have tasted also the heavenly gifts, ... and
are fallen away, to be renewed again to penance." (Heb.
vi. 4, 6.)
7. Listen, then, 0 sinner, to the admonition of the
Lord : " My son, hast thou sinned ? Do so no more, but
for thy former sins pray that they may be forgiven thee."
(Eccl. xxi. 1.) Son, add not sins to those which you
have already committed, but be careful to pray for the
pardon of your past trangressions ; otherwise, if you
commit another mortal sin, the gates of the divine mercy
may be closed against you, and your soul may be lost for
ever. When, then, beloved brethren, the devil tempts
you again to yield to sin, say to yourself : If God pardons
me no more, what shall become of me for all eternity ?
Should the Devil, in reply, say : " Fear not, God is mer
ciful ;" answer him by saying : What certainty or what
probability have I, that, if I return again to sin, God
will show me mercy or grant me pardon ? Because the
threat of the Lord against all who despise his calls:
"Behold I have called and you refused. . . I also will laugh
in your destruction, and will mock when that shall come
to you which you feared." (Prov. i. 24, 26.) Mark the
words I also ; they mean that, as you have mocked the
Lord by betraying him again after your confession and
promises of amendment, so he will mock you at the hour
of death. " I will laugh and will mock." But " God is
not mocked." (Gal. vi. 7.) «' As a dog," says the Wise
Man, " that returneth to his vomit, so is the fool that
repeateth his folly." (Prov. xxvi. 11.) B. Denis the
Carthusian gives an excellent exposition of this text. He
says that, as a dog that eats what he has just vomited,
is an object of disgust and abomination, so the sinner
who returns to the sins which he has detested and con
fessed, becomes hateful in the sight of God. " Sicut id
quod per vomitum est rejectum, resumere est valide
abominabile ac turpe sic peccata deleta reiterari."
8. 0 folly of sinners ! If you purchase a house, you
118 -SERMON XV.
spare no pains to get all the securities necessary to guard
against the loss of your money ; if you take medicine,
you are careful to assure yourself that it cannot injure
you ; if you pass over a river, you cautiously avoid all
danger of falling into it ; and for a transitory enjoy
ment, for the gratification of revenge, for a beastly plea
sure, which lasts but a moment, you risk your eternal
salvation, saying: "I will go to confession after I
commit this sin." And when, I ask, are you to go to
confession ? You say : " On to-morrow." But who pro
mises you to-morrow ? Who assures you that you shall
have time for confession, and that God will not deprive
you of life, as he has deprived so many others, in the act
of sin ? " Diem tenes," says St. Augustine, " qui horam
non tenes." You cannot be certain of living for another
hour, and you say: " I will go to confession to-morrow."
Listen to the words of St. Gregory : " He who has pro
mised pardon to penitents, has not promised to-morrow
to sinners." (Horn. xii. in Evan). God has promised
pardon to all who repent ; but he has not promised to
wait till to-morrow for those who insult him. Perhaps
God will give you time for repentance, perhaps he will
not. But, should he not give it, what shall become of
your soul ? In the meantime, for the sake of a miserable
pleasure, you lose the grace of God, and expose yourself
to the danger of being lost for ever.
9. Would you, for such transient enjoyments, risk
your money, your honour, your possessions, your liberty,
and your life ? No, you would not. How then does it
happen that, for a miserable gratification, you lose your
soul, heaven, and God ? Tell me : do you believe that
heaven, hell, eternity, are truths of faith ? Do you
believe that, if you die in sin, you are lost for ever ?
Oh ! what temerity, what folly is it, to condemn yourself
voluntarily to an eternity of torments with the hope of
afterwards reversing the sentence of your condemnation !
" Nemo," says St. Augustine, " sub spe salutis vult
aegrotare." No one can be found so foolish as to take
poison with the hope of preventing its deadly effects by
adopting the ordinary remedies. And you will condemn
yourself to hell, saying that you expect to be afterwards
preserved from it. 0 folly ! which, in conformity with
HEAVEN. 119
the divine threats, has brought, and brings every day,
so many to hell. lt Thou hast trusted in thy wickedness,
and evil shall come upon thee, and thou shalt not know
the rising thereof." (Isa. xlvii. 10, 11.) You have
sinned, trusting rashly in the divine mercy : the punish
ment of your guilt shall fall suddenly upon you, and you
shall not know from whence it comes. What do you
say ? What resolution do you make ? If, after this
sermon, you do not firmly resolve to give yourself to
God, I weep over you, and regard you as lost.
SERMON XVI.— SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT.
On Heaven.
" Lord, it is good for us to be here."— MATT. xvii. 4.
IN this day's gospel we read, that wishing to give his
disciples a glimpse of the glory of Paradise, in order to
animate them to labour for the divine honour, the
Redeemer was transfigured, and allowed them to behold
the splendour of his countenance. Ravished with joy
and delight, St. Peter exclaimed : " Lord, it is good
.for us to be here." Lord, let us remain here ; let us
-.never more depart from this place ; for, the sight of
thy beauty consoles us more than all the delights of the
earth. Brethren, let us labour during the remainder
of our lives to gain heaven. Heaven is so great a
good, that, to purchase it for us, Jesus Christ has sacri
ficed his life on the cross. Be assured, that the
greatest of all the torments of the damned in hell,
arise from the thought of having lost heaven through
their own fault. The blessings, the delights, the joys,
the sweetness of Paradise may be acquired ; but they
can be described and understood only by those blessed
souls that enjoy them. But let us, with the aid of the
holy Scripture, explain the little that can be said of
them here below.
120 SERMON XVI.
1. According to the Apostle, no man on this earth,
can comprehend the infinite blessings which God has
prepared for the souls that love him. " Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the
heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them
that love him." (1 Cor. ii. 9.) In this life we cannot
have an idea of any other pleasures than those which
we enjoy by means of the senses. Perhaps we imagine
that the beauty of heaven resembles that of a wide ex
tended plain covered with the verdure of spring,
interspersed with trees in full bloom, and abounding in
birds fluttering about and singing on every side ; or,
that it is like the beauty of a garden full of fruits and
flowers, and surrounded by fountains in continual play.
" Oh ! what a Paradise," to behold such a plain, or such
a garden ! But, oh ! how much greater are the beauties
of heaven ! Speaking of Paradise, St. Bernard says :
O man, if you wish to understand the blessings of
heaven, know that in that happy country there is
nothing which can be disagreeable, and everything that
you can desire. " Nihil est quod nolis, totum est quod
velis." Although there are some things here below
which are agreeable to the senses, how many more are
there which only torment us ? If the light of day is
pleasant, the darkness of night is disagreeable: if the
spring and the autumn are cheering, the cold of winter
and the heat of summer are painful. In addition, we
have to endure the pains of sickness, the persecution of
men, and the inconveniences of poverty ; we must sub
mit to interior troubles, to fears, to temptations of the
devil, doubts of conscience, and to the uncertainty of
eternal salvation.
2. But, after entering into Paradise, the blest shall
have no more sorrows. " God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes." The Lord shall dry up the tears which
they have shed in this life. " And death shall be no
more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow, shall be
any more, for the former things are passed away. And
he that sat on the throne, said : " Behold, I make all
things new." (Apoc. xxi. 4, 5.) In Paradise, death and
the fear of death are no more : in that place of bliss
there are no sorrows, no infirmities, no poverty, no
HEAVEN. 121
inconveniencies, no vicissitudes of day or night, of cold
or of heat. In that kingdom there is a continual day,
always serene, a continual spring, always blooming. In
Paradise there are no persecutions, no envy ; for all love
each other with tenderness, and each rejoices at the
happiness of the others, as if it were his own. There is
no more fear of eternal perdition ; for the soul confirmed
in grace can neither sin nor lose God.
3. " Totum est quod velis." In heaven you have
all you can desire. " Behold, I make all things new."
There everything is new ; new beauties, new delights,
new joys. There all our desires shall be satisfied. The
sight shall be satiated with beholding the beauty of that
city. How delightful to behold a city in which the
streets should be of crystal, the houses of silver, the
windows of gold, and all adorned with the most beau
tiful flowers. But, oh ! how much more beautiful shall
be the city of Paradise ! the beauty of the place shall be
heightened by the beauty of the inhabitants, who are all
clothed in royal robes ; for, according to St. Augustine,
they are all kings. " Quot cives, tot reges." How
delighted to behold Mary, the queen of heaven, who
shall appear more beautiful than all the other citizens
of Paradise ! But, what it must be to behold the beauty
of Jesus Christ ! St. Teresa once saw one of the hands
of Jesus Christ, and was struck with astonishment at the
sight of such beauty. The smell shall be satiated with
odours, but with the odours of Paradise. The hearing
shall be satiated with the harmony of the celestial choirs.
St. Francis once heard for a moment an angel playing
on a violin, and he almost died through joy. How
delightful must it be to hear the saints and angels sing
ing the divine praises ! "They shall praise thee for
ever and ever." (Ps. Ixxxiii. 5.) What must it be to
hear Mary praising God ! St. Francis de Sales says,
that, as the singing of the nightingale in the wood
surpasses that of all other birds, so the voice of Mary is
far superior to that of all the other saints. In a word,
there are in Paradise all the delights which man can
desire.
4. But the delights of which we have spoken are the
least of the blessings of Paradise. The glory of heaven
122 SERMON XVI.
consists in seeing and loving God face to face. " Totum
quod expectamus," says St. Augustine, " duaa syllabas
sunt, Deus." The reward which God promises to us
does not consist altogether in the beauty, the harmony,
and other advantages of the city of Paradise. God
himself, whom the saints are allowed to behold, is, accord
ing to the promises made to Abraham, the principal
reward of the just in heaven. " I am thy reward
exceeding great." (Gen. xv. 1.) St. Augustine asserts,
that, were God to show his face to the damned, " Hell
would be instantly changed into a Paradise of delights."
(Lib. de trip, habit., torn. 9.) And he adds that, were a
departed soul allowed the choice of seeing God and
suffering the pains of hell, or of being freed from these
pains and deprived of the sight of God, " she would
prefer to see God, and to endure these torments."
5. The delights of the soul infinitely surpass all tho
pleasures of the senses. Even in this life divine love
infuses such sweetness into the soul when God com
municates himself to her, that the body is raised from
the earth. St. Peter of Alcantara once fell into such an
ecstacy of love, that, taking hold of a tree, he drew it
up from the roots, and raised it with him on high. So
great is the sweetness of divine love, that the holy
martyrs, in the midst of their torments, felt no pain, but
were on the contrary filled with joy. Hence, St.
Augustine says that, when St. Lawrence was laid on a
red-hot gridiron, the fervour of divine love made him
insensible to the burning heat of the fire. " Hoc igne
incensus non sentit incendium." Even on sinners who
Teep for their sins, God bestows consolations which
exceed all earthly pleasures. Hence St. Bernard says:
" If it be so sweet to weep for thee, what must it be to
rejoice in thee !"
6. How great is the sweetness which a soul experi
ences, when, in the time of prayer, God, by a ray of his
own light, shows to her his goodness and his mercies
towards her, and particularly the love which Jesus
Christ has borne to her in his passion ! She feels her
heart melting, and as it were dissolved through love.
But in this life we do not see God as he really is : we
see him as it were in. the dark. " We see now through.
HEAVEN.
123
a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face." (1 Cor.
xiii. 12.) Here below God is hidden from, our view ;
we can see him only with the eyes of faith : how great
shall be our happiness when the veil shall be raised, and
we shall be permitted to behold God face to face ! Wo
shall then see his beauty, his greatness, his perfection,
his amiableness, and his immense love for our souls.
7. " Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love
or hatred." (Eccl. ix. 1.) The fear of not loving God,
and of not being loved by him, is the greatest affliction
which souls that love God endure on the earth ; but, in
heaven, the soul is certain that she loves God, and that
he loves her ; she sees that the Lord embraces her with
infinite love, and that this love shall not be dissolved
for all eternity. The knowledge of the love which
Jesus Christ has shown her in offering himself in sacri
fice for her on the cross, and in making himself her food
in the sacrament of the altar, shall increase the ardour
of her love. She shall also see clearly all the graces
which God has bestowed upon her, all the helps which
he has given her, to preserve her from falling into sin,
and to draw her to his love. She shall see that all the
tribulations, the poverty, infirmities, and persecutions
which she regards as misfortunes, have all proceeded
from love, and have been the means employed by Divine
Providence to bring her to glory. She shall see all the
lights, loving calls, and mercies which God had granted
to her, after she had insulted him by her sins. From
the blessed mountain of Paradise she shall see so many
souls damned for fewer sins than she had committed,
and shall see that she herself is saved and secured against
the possibility of ever losing God.
8. The goods of this earth do not satisfy our desires :
at first they gratify the senses ; but when we become
accustomed to them they cease to delight. But the
joys of Paradise constantly satiate and content the
heart. " I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall
appear." (Ps. xvi. 15.) And though they satiate they
always appear to be as new as the first time when they
were experienced ; they are always enjoyed and always
desired, always desired and always possessed. " Sati
ety," says St. Gregory, " accompanies desire." (Lib. 13,
124 SERMON XVI.
Mor., c. xviii.) Thus, the desires of the saints in
Paradise do not beget pain, because they are always
satisfied ; and satiety does not produce disgust, because
it is always accompanied with desire. Hence the soul
shall be always satiated and always thirsty : she shall be
for ever thirsty, and always satiated with delights.
The damned are, according to the Apostle, vessels full
of wrath and of torments, " vessels of wrath, fitted for
destruction." (Rom. ix. 22.) But the just are vessels
full of mercy and of joy, so that they have nothing to
desire. " They shall be inebriated with the plenty of
thy house." (Ps. xxxv. 9.) In beholding the beauty of
God, the soul shall be so inflamed and so inebriated
with divine love, that she shall remain happily lost in
God ; for she shall entirely forget herself, and for all
eternity shall think only of loving and praising the
immense good which she shall possess for ever, without
the fear of having it in her power ever to lose it. In
this life, holy souls love God ; but they cannot love him
with all their strength, nor can they always actually
love him. St. Thomas teaches, that this perfect love is
only given to the citizens of heaven, who love God with
their whole heart, and never cease to love him actually.
" Ut toturn cor hominis semper actualiter in Deum
feratur ista est perfectio patria>." (2, 2 quacst. 44, art.
4, ad. 2.)
9. Justly, then, has St. Augustine said, that to gain
the eternal glory of Paradise, we should cheerfully
embrace eternal labour. " Pro aeterna requie acternus
labor subeundus esset." " For nothing/' says David,
" shalt thou save them." (Ps. Iv. 8.) The saints have
done but little to acquire Heaven. So many kings, who
have abdicated their thrones and shut themselves up in
a cloister ; so many holy anchorets, who have confined
themselves in a cave; so many martyrs, who have cheer
fully submitted to torments — to the rack, and to red-hot
plates — have done but little. " The sufferings of this
life are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come."
(Rom. viii. 18.) To gain heaven, it would be but little
to endure all the pains of this life.
10. Let us, then, brethren, courageously resolve to
bear patiently with all the sufferings which shall come
CONCEALING SINS IN CONFESSION. 125
upon us during the remaining days of our lives : to
secure heaven they are all little and nothing. Rejoice
then ; for all these pains, sorrows, and persecutions shall,
if we are saved, be to us a source of never-ending joys
and delights. " Your sorrows shall be turned into joy."
(John xvi. 20.) When, then, the crosses of this life
afflict us, let us raise our eyes to heaven, and console
ourselves with the hope of Paradise. At the end of her
life, St. Mary of Egypt was asked, by the Abbot St.
Zozimus, how she had been able to live for forty-seven
years in the desert where he found her dying. She
answered : " With the hope of Paradise." If we be
animated with the same hope, we shall not feel the
tribulations of this life. Have courage ! Let us love
God and labour for heaven. There the saint expects
us, Mary expects us, Jesus Christ expects us ; he holds
in his hand a crown to make each of us a king in that
eternal kingdom.
SERMON XVIL— THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT.
On concealing sins in confession.
" And he was casting out a devil, and the same was dumb." — LUKE
xi. 14.
THE devil does not bring sinners to hell with their eyes
open : he first blinds them with the malice of their own
sins. " For their own malice blinded them." (Wis. ii.
21.) He thus leads them to eternal perdition. Before
we fall into sin, the enemy labours to blind us, that we
may not see the evil we do and the ruin we bring upon
ourselves by offending God. After we commit sin, he
seeks to make us dumb, that, through shame, we may
conceal our guilt in confession. Thus, he leads us to
hell by a double chain, inducing us, after our trans
gressions, to consent to a still greater sin — the sin of
sacrilege. I will speak on this subject to-day, and will
endeavour to convince you of the great evil of conceal
ing sins in confession
126 SERMON XVII.
1. In expounding the words of David — " Set a door
O Lord, round about my lips," (Ps. cxl. 3) — St. Augus
tine says : " Non dixit claustrum, sed ostium : ostium et
aperitur et clauditur : aperiatur ad confessionem peccati :
claudatur ad excusationem peccati." "We should keep
a door to the mouth, that it may be closed against
detraction, and blasphemies, and all improper words,
and that it may be opened to confess the sins we have
committed. " Thus," adds the holy doctor, " it will be
a door of restraint, and not of destruction." To be
silent when we are impelled to utter words injurious to
God or to our neighbour, is an act of virtue ; but, to be
silent in confessing our sins, is the ruin of the soul.
After we have offended God, the devil labours to keep
the mouth closed, and to prevent us from confessing
our guilt. St. Antonine relates, that a holy solitary
once saw the devil standing beside a certain person who
wished to go to confession. The solitary asked the
fiend what he was doing there. The enemy said in
reply : " I now restore to these penitents what I before
took away from them ; I took away from them shame
while they were committing sin ; I now restore it that
they may have a horror of confession." " My sores are
putrefied and corrupted, because of my foolishness." (Ps.
xxxvii. 6.) Gangrenous sores are fatal ; and sins con
cealed in confession are spiritual ulcers, which mortify
and become gangrenous.
2. "Pudorem," says St. Chrysostom, " dedit Deus
peccato, confessioni nduciam: invertit rem diabolis,
peccato fiduciam preebet, confessioni pudorem." (Proem,
in Isa.) God has made sin shameful, that we may
abstain from it, and gives us confidence to confess it by
promising pardon to all who accuse themselves of their
sins. But the devil does the contrary: he gives confi
dence to sin by holding out hopes of pardon ; but, when
sin is committed, he inspires shame, to prevent the
confession of it.
3. A disciple of Socrates, at the moment he was
leaving a house of bad fame, saw his master pass : to
avoid being seen by him, he went back into the house.
Socrates came to the door and said : My son, it is a
shameful thing to enter, but not to depart from this
CONCEALING SINS IN CONFESSION. 127
house. " Non te pudeat, fili egredi ex hoc loco, intrasse
pudeat." To you also, 0 brethren, who have sinned, I
say, that you ought to be ashamed to offend so great
and so good a God. But you have no reason to be
ashamed of confessing the sins which you have com
mitted. Was it shameful in St. Mary Magdalene to
acknowledge publicly at the feet of Jesus Christ that
she was a sinner ? By her confession she became a
saint. Was it shameful in St. Augustine not only to
confess his sins, but also to publish them in a book, that,
for his confusion, they might be known to the whole
world ? Was it shameful in St. Mary of Egypt to con
fess, that for so many years she had led a scandalous
life ? By their confessions these have become saints,
and are honoured on the altars of the Church.
4. We say that the man who acknowledges his guilt
before a secular tribunal is condemned , but in the
tribunal of Jesus Christ, they who confess their sins
obtain pardon, and receive a crown of eternal glory.
" After confession," says St. Chrysostom, " a crown is
given to penitents." He who is afflicted with an ulcer
must, if he wish to be cured, show it to a physician :
otherwise it will fester and bring on death. " Quod
ignorat," says the Council of Trent, " medicina non
curat." If, then, brethren, your souls be ulcerated with
sin, be not ashamed to confess it; otherwise you are lost.
" For thy soul be not ashamed to say the truth." (Eccl.
iv. 24.) ^ But, you say, I feel greatly ashamed to confess
such a sin. If you wish to be saved, you must conquer
this shame. " For there is a shame that bringeth sin,
and there is a shame that bringeth glory and grace."
(Ib. iv. 25.) There are, according to the inspired writer,
two kinds of shame : one of which leads souls to sin,
and that is the shame which makes them conceal their
sins ^ at confession ; the other is the confusion which a
Christian feels in confessing his sins ; and this confusion
obtains for him the grace of God in this life, and the
glory of heaven in the next.
5. St. Augustine says, that to prevent the sheep from
seeking assistance by her cries the wolf seizes her by the
neck, and thus securely carries her away and devours
her. The devil acts in a similar manner with the sheep
128 SERMON XVII.
of Jesus Christ. After having induced them to yield
to sin, he seizes them by the throat, that they may not
confess their guilt ; and thus he securely brings them to
hell. For those who have sinned grievously, there is
no means of salvation but the confession of their sins.
But, what hope of salvation can he have who goes to
confession and conceals his sins, and makes use of the
tribunal of penance to offend God, and to make himself
doubly the slave of Satan ? What hope would you
entertain of the recovery of the man who, instead of
taking the medicine prescribed by his physician, drank
a cup of poison ? 0 God ! What can the sacrament of
penance be to those who conceal their sins, but a deadly
poison, which adds to their guilt the malice of sacrilege ?
In giving absolution, the confessor dispenses to his
patient the blood of Jesus Christ ; for it is through the
merits of that blood that he absolves from sin. What,
then, does the sinner do, when he conceals his sins in
confession ? He tramples under foot the blood of Jesus
Christ. And should he afterwards receive the holy
communion in a state of sin, he is, according to St.
Chrysostom, as guilty as if he threw the consecrated
host into a sink. " Non minus detestabile^ est in os
pollutum, quam in sterquilinum mittere Dei Filium."
(Horn. Ixxxiii., in Matt.) Accursed shame ! how many
poor souls do you bring to hell ? " Magis memores
pudoris," says Tertullian, " quam salutis." Unhappy
souls ! they think only of the shame of confessing their
sins, and do not reflect that, if they conceal them, they
shall be certainly damned.
6. Some penitents ask : " What will my confessor say
when he hears that I have committed such a sin ?" What
will he say ? He will say that you are, like all persons
living on this earth, miserable and prone to sin : he will
say that, if you have done evil, you have also performed
a glorious action in overcoming shame, and in candidly
confessing your fault.
7. " But I am afraid to confess this sin." To how many
confessors, I ask, must you tell it? It is enough to
mention it to one priest, who hears many sins of the
same kind from others. It is enough to confess it once :
the confessor will give you penance and absolution, and
CONCEALING SINS IN CONFESSION. 129
your conscience shall be tranquillized. But, you say :
" I feel a great repugnance to tell this sin to my spiri
tual father." Tell it, then, to another confessor, and, if
you wish, to one to whom you are unknown. " But, if
this come to the knowledge of my confessor, he will be
displeased with me." What then do you mean to do ?
Perhaps, to avoid giving displeasure to him, you intend
to commit a heinous crime, and remain under sentence
of damnation. This would be the very height of folly.
8. Are you afraid that the confessor will make known
your sin to others ? Would it not be madness to suspect
that he is so wicked as to break the seal of confession
by revealing your sin to others ? Remember that the
obligation of the seal of confession is so strict, that a
confessor cannot speak out of confession, even to the
penitent, of the smallest venial fault ; and if he did so,*
he would be guilty of a most grievous sin.
9. But you say : "I am afraid that my confessor,
when he hears my sin, will rebuke me with great
severity." 0 God ! Do you not see that all these are
deceitful artifices of the devil to bring you to hell ? No ;
the confessor will not rebuke you, but he will give an
advice suited to your state. A confessor cannot ex
perience greater consolation than in absolving a penitent
who confesses his sins with true sorrow and with
sincerity. If a queen were mortally wounded by a
slave, and you were in possession of a remedy by which
she could be cured, how great would be your joy in
saving her life ! Such is the joy which a confessor
feels in absolving a soul in the state of sin. By his act
he delivers her from eternal death : and by restoring to
her the grace of God, he makes her a queen of Paradise.
10. But you have so many fears, and are not afraid
of damning your own soul by the enormous crime of
concealing sins in confession. You are afraid of the
rebuke of your confessor, and fear not the reproof
which you shall receive from Jesus Christ, your Judge,
at the hour of death. You are afraid that your sins
shall become known (which is impossible), and you
dread not the day of judgment, on which, if you conceal
* That is, without the permission of the penitent.
I
130 SERMON XVII.
them, they shall be revealed to all men. If you knew
that, by concealing sins in confession, they shall be made
known to all your relatives and to all your neighbours,
you would certainly confess them. But, do you* not
know, says St. Bernard, that if you refuse to confess
your sins to one man, who, like yourself, is a sinner,
they shall be made known not only to all your relatives
and neighbours, but to the entire human race ? " Si
pudor est tibi uni homini, et peccatori peccatum expo-
nere, quid facturus es in die judicii, ubi omnibus exposita
tua conscientia patebit ?" (S. Ber. super illud Joan., cap.
xi.) " Lazare veni foras." If you do not confess your
sin, God himself shall, for your confusion, publish not
only the sin which you conceal, but also all your iniqui
ties, in the presence of the angels and of the whole world.
" I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will show
thy wickedness to the nations." (Nah. iii. 5.)
11. Listen, then, to the advice of St. Ambrose. The
devil keeps an account of your sins, to charge you with
ihem at the tribunal of Jesus Christ. Do you wish,
says the saint, to prevent this accusation ? Anticipate
your accuser: accuse yourself now to a confessor, and
then no accuser shall appear against you at the judg
ment-seat of God. " Pra3veni accusatorem tuum ; si to
accusaveris, accusatorem nullum timebis." (Lib. 2 de
Prcnit., cap. ii.) But, according to St. Augustine, if you
excuse yourself in confession, you shut up sin within
your soul, and shut out pardon. " Excusas te, includis
peccatum, excludis indulgentiam." (Horn. xii. 50.)
12. If, then, brethren, there be a single soul among
you who has ever concealed a sin, through shame, in the
tribunal of penance, let him take courage, and make a
full confession of all his faults. " Give glory to God
with a good heart." (Eccl. xxxv. 10.) Give glory to
God, and confusion to the devil. A certain penitent
was tempted by Satan to conceal a sin through shame ;
but she was resolved to confess it ; and while she was
going to her confessor, the devil came forward and
asked her where she was going. She courageously
answered: "I am going to cover myself and you with
confusion." Act you in a similar manner; if you have
ever concealed a mortal sin, confess it candidly to your
CONCEALING SINS IN CONFESSION. 131
director, and confound the devil. Eemember that the
greater the violence you do yourself in confessing your
sins, the greater will be the love with which Jesus Christ
will embrace you.
^ 13. Courage, then ! expel this viper which you har
bour in your soul, and which continually corrodes your
heart and destroys your peace. Oh ! what a hell does
a Christian suffer who keeps in his heart a sin concealed
through shame in confession ! He suffers an anticipation
of hell. It is enough to say to the confessor : " Father,
L have a certain scruple regarding my past life, but I
am ashamed to tell it." This will be enough: the con
fessor will help to pluck out the serpent which gnaws
your conscience. And, that you may not entertain
groundless scruples, I think it right to tell you, that if
the sin which you are ashamed to tell be not mortal, or
if you never considered it to be a mortal sin, you are not
obliged to confess it ; for we are bound only to confess
mortal sins. Moreover, if you have doubts whether you
ever confessed a certain sin of your former life, but know
that, in preparing for confession, you always carefully
examined your conscience, and that you never concealed
a sm through shame ; in this case, even though the sin
about the confession of which you are doubtful, had been
a grievous fault, you are not obliged to confess it-
because it is presumed to be morally certain that you
have already confessed it. But, if you know that the
em was grievous, and that you never accused yourself of
6 in confession, then there is no remedy ; you must
confess it, or you must be damned for it. But, 0 lost
sheep, go instantly to confession. Jesus Christ is wait-
ng for you; he stands with arms open to pardon and
embrace you, if you acknowledge your guilt. I assure
you that, after having confessed all your sins, you shall
leef such consolation at having unburdened your con
science and acquired the grace of God, that you shall for
ever bless the day on which you made this confession,
o as soon as possible in search of a confessor. Do not
give the devil time to continue to tempt you. and to
make you put off your confession: go immediately: for
Jesus Christ is waiting for you
132 SERMON XVIII.
SERMON XVIII.— FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT.
On the tender compassion which Jesus Christ enter
tains towards sinners.
"Make the men sit down."— JOHN vi. 10.
WE read in this day's gospel that, having gone up into
a mountain with his disciples, and seeing a multitude of
five thousand persons, who followed him hecause they
saw the miracles which he wrought on them that were
diseased, the Redeemer said to St. Philip: "Whence
shall we huy bread, that these may eat ?" " Lord,"
answered St. Philip, " two-hundred pennyworth of bread
is not sufficient that every one may take a little." St.
Andrew then said : There is a boy here that has five
barley loaves and two fishes ; but what are these among
so many ? But Jesus Christ said : " Make the men sit
down." And he distributed the loaves and fishes among
them. The multitude were satisfied : and the fragments
of bread which remained filled twelve baskets. The Lord
wrought this miracle through compassion for the bodily
wants of these poor people ; but far more tender is his
compassion for the necessities of the souls of the poor —
that is, of sinners who are deprived of the divine grace.
This tender compassion of Jesus Christ for sinners shall
be the subject of this day's discourse.
1. Through the bowels of his mercy towards men,
who groaned under the slavery of sin and Satan, our
most loving Redeemer descended from heaven to earth,
to redeem and save them from eternal torments by his
own death. Such was the language of St. Zachary, the
father of the Baptist, when the Blessed Virgin, who had
already become the mother of the Eternal Word, entered
his house. " Through the bowels of the mercy of our
God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us."
(Luke i. 78.)
2. Jesus Christ, the good pastor, who came into the
world to obtain salvation for us his sheep, has said : " I
am come that they may have life, and may have it
more abundantly." (John x. 10.) Mark the expression,
COMPASSION OF CHRIST. 133
" more abundantly/' which signifies that the Son of Man
came on earth not only to restore us to the life of grace
which we lost, but to give us a better life than that
which we forfeited by sin. Yes ; for as St. Leo says,
the benefits which we have derived from the death of
Jesus are greater than the injury which the devil has
done us by sin. " Ampliora adepti sumus per Christ!
gratiam quam per diaboli amiseramus invidiam." (Ser.
i., de Ascen.) The same doctrine is taught by the
Apostle, who says that, " where sin abounded, grace did
more abound." (Rom. v. 20.)
3. But, my Lord, since thou hast resolved to take
human flesh, would not a single prayer offered by thee
be sufficient for the redemption of all men ? What need,
then, was there of leading a life of poverty, humiliation,
and contempt, for thirty- three years, of suffering a cruel
and shameful death on an infamous gibbet, and of shed
ding all thy blood by dint of torments ? I know well,
answers Jesus Christ, that one drop of my blood, or a
simple prayer, would be sufficient for the salvation of
the world ; but neither would be sufficient to show the
love which I bear to men : and therefore, to be loved by
men when they should see me dead on the cross for the
love of them, I have resolved to submit to so many
torments and to so painful a death. This, he says, is
the duty of a good pastor. " I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep... I lay
down my life for my sheep." (John x. 11, 15.)
4. O men, O men, what greater proof of love could
the Son of God give us than to lay down his life for us
his sheep ? " In this we have known the charity of
God ; because he hath laid down his life for us." (L
John iii. 16.) No one, says the Saviour, can show
greater love to his friends than to give his life for them.
" Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay
down his life for his friends." (John xv. 13.) But thou,
O Lord, hast died not only for friends, but for us who
were thy enemies by sin. " When we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." (Rom.
v. 10.) 0 infinite love of our God, exclaims St. Bernard ;
" to spare slaves, neither the Father has spared the Son,
nor the Son himself." To pardon us, who were rebellious
134 SERMON XVIII.
servants, the Father would not pardon the Son, and the
Son would not pardon himself, but, by his death, has
satisfied the divine justice for the sins which we have
committed.
5. When Jesus Christ was near his passion he went
one day to Samaria: the Samaritans refused to receive
him. Indignant at the insult offered by the Samaritans
to their Master, St. James and St. John, turning to
Jesus, said : " Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to
come down from heaven and consume them ?" (Luke
ix. 54.) But Jesus, who was all sweetness, even to those
who insulted him, answered : " You know not of what
spirit you are. The Son of Man came not to destroy
souls, but to save." (r. 55 and 50.) lie severely rebuked
the disciples. What spirit is ^ this, he said, which
possesses you ? It is not my spirit : mine is the spirit
of patience and compassion ; for I ain come, not to
destroy, but to save the souls of men : and you speak of
fire, of punishment, and of vengeance. Hence, in
another place, he said to his disciples: "Learn of me,
because I am meek and humble of heart." (Matt. xi. '29 )
I do not wish of you to learn of me to chastise, but to
be meek, and to bear and pardon injuries.
0. How beautiful has he described the tenderness of
his heart towards sinners in the following words :
" What man of you that hath an hundred sheep : and,
if he lose one of them, doth he not leave ninety-nine in
the desert, and go after that which is lost until he find
it : and when he hath found it, lay it upon his shoulder
rejoicing ; and coming home, call together his friends
and neighbours, saying to them : Rejoice with me,
because I have found my sheep that was lost ?" (Luke
xv. 4, 5, and 6.) But, 0 Lord, it is not thou that
oughtest to rejoice, but the sheep that has found her
pastor and her God. The sheep indeed, answers Jesus,
rejoices at finding me, her shepherd ; but far greater is
the joy which 1 feel at having found one of my lost
sheep. He concludes the parable in these words :— " I
say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven,
for one sinner that doth penance, more than upon
ninety-nine just, who need not penance." (Luke xv. 7.)
There is more joy in heaven at the conversion of one
COMPASSION OF CHRIST. 135
sinner, than upon ninety-nine just men who preserve
their innocence. What sinner, then, can be so hardened
as not to go instantly and cast himself at the feet of his
Saviour, when he knows the tender love with which
Jesus Christ is prepared to embrace him, and carry him
on his shoulders, as soon as he repents of his sins ?
7. The Lord has also declared his tenderness towards
penitent sinners in the parable of the Prodigal Child.
(Luke xv. 12, etc.) In that parable the Son of God
says, that a certain young man, unwilling to be any
longer under the control of his father, and desiring to
live according to his caprice and corrupt inclinations,
asked the portion of his father's substance which fell to
him. The father gave it with sorrow, weeping over the
ruin of his son. The son departed from his father's
house. Having in a short time dissipated his substance,
he was reduced to such a degree of misery that, to
procure the necessaries of life, he was obliged to feed
swine. _ All this was a figure of a sinner, who, after
departing from God, and losing the divine grace and all
the merits he had acquired, leads a life of misery under
the slavery of the devil. In the gospel it is added that
the young man, seeing his wretched condition, resolved
to return to his father : and the father, who is a figure
of Jesus Christ, seeing his son return to him, was
instantly moved to pity. "His father saw him, and
was moved with compassion" (v. 20); and, instead of
driving him away, as the ungrateful son had deserved,
"running to him, he fell upon his neck and kissed
him." He ran with open arms to meet him, and,
through tenderness, fell upon his neck, and consoled
him by his embraces. He then said to his servants :
" Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him."
According to St. Jerome and St. Augustine, the first
robe signifies the divine grace, which, in addition to new
celestial gifts, God, by granting pardon, gives to the
penitent sinner. " And put a ring on his finger." Give
him the ring of- a spouse. By recovering the grace of
God, the soul becomes again the spouse of Jesus Christ.
" And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let
us eat and make merry" (v. 23). Bring hither the
fatted calf — which signifies the holy communion, or
136 SERMON XVIII.
Jesus in the holy sacrament mystically killed and offered
in sacrifice on the altar ; let us eat and rejoice. But
why, 0 divine Father, so much joy at the return of so
ungrateful a child ? Because, answered the Father,
this my son was dead, and he is come to life again ; he
was lost, and I have found him.
8. This tenderness of Jesus Christ was experienced
by the sinful woman (according to St. Gregory, Mary
Magdalene) who cast herself at the feet of Jesus, and
washed them with her tears. (Luke vii. 47 and 50.)
The Lord, turning to her with sweetness, consoled her
by saying: "Thy sins are forgiven ;... thy faith hath
made thee safe ; go in peace." (Luke vii. 48 and 50.)
Child, thy sins are pardoned ; thy confidence in me has
saved thee ; go in peace. It was also felt by the man
who was sick for thirty- eight years, and who was infirm,
both in body and soul. The Lord cured his malady,
and pardoned his sins. " Behold," says Jesus to him,
" thou art made whole ; sin no more, lest some worse
thing happen to thee." (John v. 14.) The tenderness
of the Redeemer was also felt by the leper who said to
Jesus Christ: " Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me
clean." (Matt. viii. 2.) Jesus answered: "I will: be
thou made clean" (v. 3). As if he said: Yes; I will
that thou be made clean ; for I have come down from
heaven for the purpose of consoling all : be healed, then,
according to thy desire. " And forthwith his leprosy
was cleansed."
9. We have also a proof of the tender compassion of
the Son of God for sinners, in his conduct towards the
woman caught in adultery. The scribes and pharisees
brought her before him, and said : " This woman was
even now taken in adultery. Now Moses, in the law,
commands us to stone such a one. But what sayest
thou ?" (John viii. 4 and 5.) And this they did, as St.
John says, tempting him. They intended to accuse
him of transgressing the law of Moses, if he said that
she ought to be liberated ; and they expected to destroy
his character for meekness, if he said that she should
be stoned. " Si dicat lapidandam," says St. Augustine,
" famam perdet mansuetudinis ; sin dimmitteudam,
transgressa3 legis accusabitur." (Tract, xxxiii. in Joan.)
COMPASSION OF CHRIST. 137
But what was the answer of our Lord ? He neither
said that she should be stoned nor dismissed ; but,
" bowing himself down, he wrote with his finger on the
ground." The interpreters say that, probably, what he
wrote on the ground was a text of Scripture admonishing
the accusers of their own sins, which were, perhaps,
greater than that of the woman charged with adultery.
" He then lifted himself up, and said to them : ' He that
is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her' " (v . 7). The scribes and pharisees went away one
by one, and the woman stood alone. Jesus Christ,
turning to her, said: "Hath no one condemned thee ?
neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no
more" (v. 11). Since no one has condemned you, fear
not that you shall be condemned by me, who hath come on
earth, not to condemn, but to pardon and save sinners:
go in peace, and sin no more.
10. Jesus Christ has come, not to condemn, but to
deliver sinners from hell, as soon as they resolve to
amend their lives. And when he sees them obstinately
bent on their own perdition, he addresses them with
tears in the words of Ezechiel : " Why will you die, O
house of Israel?" (xviii. 31). My children, why will
you die ? Why do you voluntarily rush into hell,
when I have come from heaven to deliver you from it
by death ? He adds : you are already dead to the grace
of God. But I will not your death: return to me, and
I will restore to you the life which you have lost. "For
I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord
God: return ye and live" (v. 32). But some sinners,
who are immersed in the abyss of sin, may say: Perhaps,
if we return to Jesus Christ, he will drive us away.
No ; for the Redeemer has said: " And him that cometh
to me I will not cast out." (John vi. 37.) No one that
comes to me with sorrow for his past sins, however
manifold and enormous they may have been, shall be
rejected.
11. Behold how, in another place, the Redeemer
encourages us to throw ourselves at his feet with a
secure hope of consolation and pardon. " Come to me,
all you that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh
you." (Matt. xi. 28.) Come to me, all ye poor sinners,
138
SERMON XIX.
who labour for your own damnation, and groan under
the weight of your crimes ; come, and I will deliver you
from all your troubles. Again, he says, " Come and
accuse me, saith the Lord ; if your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be made white as snow ; and if they be red as
crimson, they shall be made white as wool." (Isa. i. 18.)
Come with sorrow for the offences you committed against
me, and if I do not give you pardon, accuse me. As if
he said : upbraid me ; rebuke me as a liar; for I promise
that, though your sins were of scarlet — that is, of the
most horrid enormity — your soul, by my blood, in which
I sli all wash it, will become white and beautiful as
snow.
1'J. Let us then, 0 sinners, return instantly to Jesus
Christ. If we have left him, let us immediately return,
before death overtakes us in sin and sends us to hell,
where the mercies and graces of the Lord shall, if we do
not amend, be so many swords which shall lacerate the
heart for all eternity.
SERMON XIX.— PASSION SUNDAY.
On the danger to which tepidity exposes the soul.
"But Jesus hid himself."— JOHN viii. 59.
JESUS CHRIST "is the true light which enlighteneth
every man that cometh into this world.'' (John i. 9.)
He enlightens all ; but he cannot enlighten those who
voluntarily shut their eyes to the light ; from them the
Saviour hides himself. How then can they, walking in
darkness, escape the many dangers of perdition to which
we are exposed in this life, which God has given us as
the road to eternal happiness ? I will endeavour to-day
to convince you of the great danger into which tepidity
brings the soul, since it makes Jesus Christ hide his
divine light from her, and makes him less liberal in
bestowing upon her the graces and helps, without which
she shall find it very difficult to complete the journey
of this life without falling into an abyss — that is, into
mortal sin.
1. A tepid soul is not one that lives in enmity with
DANGER OF TEPIDITY. 139
God, nor one that sometimes commits venial sins
through mere frailty, and not with full deliberation.
On account of the corruption of nature by original sin,
no man can be exempt from such venial faults. This
corruption of nature renders it impossible for us, without
a most special grace, which has been given only to the
mother of God, to avoid all venial sins during our whole
lives. Hence St. John has said: "If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us." (1 John i. 8.) God permits defects of this kind,
even in the saints, to keep them humble, and to make
them feel that, as they commit such faults in spite of all
their good purposes and promises, so also, were they not
supported by his divine hand, they would fall into mortal
sins. Hence, when wre find that we have committed
these light faults, we must humble ourselves, and
acknowledging our own weakness, we must be careful to
recommend ourselves to God, and implore of him to
preserve us, by his almighty hand, from more grievous
transgressions, and to deliver us from those wre have
committed.
2. What then are we to understand by a tepid soul ?
A tepid soul is one that frequently falls into fully deli
berate venial sins — such as deliberate lies, deliberate
acts of impatience, deliberate imprecations, and the like.
These faults may be easily avoided by those who are
resolved to suffer death rather than commit a deliberate
venial offence against God. St. Teresa used to say,
that one venial sin does us more harm than all the devils
in hell. Hence she would say to her mms : " My
children, from deliberate sin, however venial it may be,
may the Lord deliver you." Some complain of being
left in aridity and dryness, and without any spiritual
sweetness. But how can we expect that God will be
liberal of his favours to us, when we are ungenerous to
him ? We know that such a lie, such an imprecation,
such an injury to our neighbour, and such detraction,
though not mortal sins, are displeasing to God, and still
we do not abstain from them. Why then should we
expect that God will give us his divine consolations ?
3. But some of you will say : Venial sins, however
great they may be, do not deprive the soul of the grace
140 SERMON XIX.
of God : even though I commit them I will he saved ;
and for me it is enough to obtain eternal life. You say
that, " for you it is enough to be saved." Remember that
St. Augustine says that, " where you have said, * It is
enough/ there you have perished." To understand cor
rectly the meaning of these words of St. Augustine, and
to see the danger to which the state of tepidity exposes
those who commit habitual and deliberate venial sins,
without feeling remorse for them, and without endea
vouring to avoid them, it is necessary to know that the
habit of light faults leads the soul insensibly to mortal
sins. For example : the habit of venial acts of aversion
leads to mortal hatred ; the habit of small thefts leads
to grievous rapine ; the habit of venial attachments leads
to affections which are mortally sinful. " The soul,"
says St. Gregory, " never lies where it falls." (Moral., lib.
xxxi.) No ; it continues to sink still deeper. Mortal
diseases do not generally proceed from serious indis
position, but from many slight and continued infirmities ;
so, likewise, the fall of many souls into mortal sin
follows from habitual venial sins ; for these render the
soul so weak that, when a strong temptation assails her,
she has not strengh to resist it, and she falls.
4. Many are unwilling to be separated from God by
mortal sins ; they wish to follow him, but at a distance,
and regardless of venial sins. But to them shall pro
bably happen what befel St. Peter. When Jesus Christ
was seized in the garden, St. Peter was unwilling to
abandon the Lord, but "followed him afar off." (Matt.
xxvi. 58.) After entering the house of Caiphas, he was
charged with being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He was
instantly seized with fear, and three times denied his
Master. The Holy Ghost says : " He that contemneth
small things shall fall by little and little." (Eccl. xix. 1.)
They who despise small falls will probably one day fall
into an abyss ; for, being in the habit of committing
light offences against God, they will feel but little
repugnance to offer to him some grievous insult.
5. The Lord says : " Catch us the little foxes that
destroy the vines." (Cant. ii. 15.) He does not tell us to
-catch the lions or the bears, but the little foxes. Lions
and bears strike terror, and therefore all are careful to
DANGER OF TEPIDITY. 141
keep at a distance through fear of being devoured by
them; but the little foxes, though they do not excite
dismay, destroy the vine by drying up its roots. Mortal
sin terrifies the timorous soul ; but, if she accustom her
self to the commission of many venial sins with full
deliberation, and without endeavouring to correct them,
they, like the little foxes, shall destroy the roots — that
is, the remorse of conscience, the fear of offending God,
and the holy desires of advancing in divine love ; and
thus, being in a state of tepidity, and impelled to sin by
some passion, the soul will easily abandon God and lose
the divine grace.
6. Moreover, deliberate and habitual venial sins not
only deprive us of strength to resist temptations, but also
of the special helps without which we fall into grievous
sins. Be attentive, brethren ; for this is a point of
great importance. It is certain, that of ourselves we
have not sufficient strength to resist the temptations of
the devil, of the flesh, and of the world. It is God that
prevents our enemies from assailing us with temptations
by which we would be conquered. Hence Jesus Christ
has taught us the following prayer: " And lead us not
into temptation." He teaches us to pray that God may
deliver us from the temptations to which we would
yield, and thus lose his grace. Wow, venial sins, when
they are deliberate and habitual, deprive us of the special
helps of God which are necessary for preservation in his
grace. I say necessary, because the Council of Trent
anathematizes those who assert that we can persevere in
grace without a special help from God. " Si quis
dixerit, justificatum vel sine speciali auxilio Dei in
accepta justitia perseverare posse, vel cum eo non posse ;
anathema sit." (Sess. 6, can. xxii.) Thus, with the
ordinary assistance of God, we cannot avoid falling into
some mortal sin : a special aid is necessary. But this
special aid God will justly withhold from tepid souls
who are regardless of committing, with full deliberation,
many venial sins. Thus these unhappy souls shall not
persevere in grace.
7. They who are ungenerous to God well deserve
that God should not be liberal to them. "He who
soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly." (2 Cor.
142
SERMON XIX.
ix. 6.) To such souls the Lord will give the graces
common to all, but will probably withhold his special
assistance ; and without this, as we have seen, they
cannot persevere without falling into mortal sin. God
' himself revealed to B. Henry Suson, that, for tepid
souls who are content with leading a life exempt from
mortal sin, and continue to commit many deliberate
venial sins, it is very difficult to preserve themselves in
the state of grace. The venerable Lewis da Ponte used
to say: "I commit many defects, but I never make
peace with them." Woe to him who is at peace with
his faults ! St. Bernard teaches that, as long as a person
who is guilty of defects detests his faults, there is reason
to hope that he will one day correct them and amend
his life : but when he commits faults without endeavour
ing to amend, he will continually go from bad to worse,
till he loses the grace of God. St. Augustine says that,
like a certain disease of the skin which makes the body
an object of disgust, habitual faults, when committed
without any effort of amendment, render the soul so
disgusting to God, that he deprives her of his embraces.
" Sunt velut scabies, et nostrum decus ita exterminant
ut a sponsi amplcxibus separent." (Horn. 1., cap. iii.)
Hence the soul, finding no more nourishment and
consolation in her devout exercises, in her prayers,
communions, or visits to the blessed sacrament, will
soon neglect ^them, and thus neglecting the means of
eternal salvation, she shall be in great danger of being
lost.
8. This danger will be still greater for those who
commit many venial sins through attachment to any
passion, such as pride, ambition, aversion to a neigh
bour, or an inordinate affection for any person. 1st.
Francis of Assisium says that, in endeavouring to draw
to sin a soul that is afraid of being in enmity with God,
the devil does not seek in the beginning to bind her
with the chain of a slave, by tempting her to commit
mortal sin, Because she would have a horror of yielding
to mortal sin, and would guard herself against it. He
first endeavours to bind her by a single hair ; then by a
slender thread ; next by a cord ; afterwards by a rope ;
and in the end by a chain of hell — that is, by mortal
DANGER OF TEPIDITY. 143
sin ; and thus he makes her his slave. For example :
A person cherishes an affection for a female through a
motive of courtesy or of gratitude, or from an esteem
for her good qualities. This affection is followed by
mutual presents ; to these succeed words of tenderness ;
and after the first violent assault of the devil, the
miserable man shall find that he has fallen into mortal
sin. He meets with the fate of gamesters, who, after
frequently losing large sums of money, yield to an
impulse of passion, risk their all, and, in the end, lose
their entire property.
9. Miserable the soul that allows herself to be the
slave of any passion. " Behold, how small a fire what
a great wood it kindleth." (St. James iii. 5.) A small
spark, if it be not extinguished, will set fire to an entire
wood ; that is, an unmodified passion shall bring the
soul to ruin. Passion blinds us ; and the blind often fall
into an abyss when they least expect it. According to
St. Ambrose, the devil is constantly endeavouring to
find out the passion which rules in our heart, and the
pleasures which have the greatest attraction for us.
When he discovers them, he presents occasions of
indulging them : he then excites concupiscence, and
prepares a chain to make us the slaves of hell. " Tune
maxime insidiatur adversarius quando videt in nobis
passiones aliquas generari : tune tbmites movet, laqueos
parat."
10. St. Chrysostom asserts, that he himself knew
many persons who were gifted with great virtues, and
who, because they disregarded light faults, fell into an
abyss of crime. When the devil cannot gain much
from us, he is in the beginning content with the little ;
by many trifling victories he will make a great conquest.
No one, says St. Bernard, suddenly falls from the state
of grace into the abyss of wickedness. They who rush
into the most grievous irregularities, begin by committing
light^faults. "Nemo repente fit turpissimus : a minimis
incipiunt qui in maxima proruunt." (Tract de Ord.
vita3.) It is necessary also to understand that, when
a soul that has been favoured by God with special
lights and graces, consents to mortal sin, her fall shall
not be a simple fall, from which she will easily rise
144
SERMON XIX.
again, but it will be a precipitous one, from which she
will find it very difficult to return to God.
11. Addressing a person in the state of tepidity, our
Lord said : " I would that thou wert cold or hot ; but
because thou art luke-warm, and neither hot nor cold, I
will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth." (Apoc. iii.
15, 16.) " I would thou wert cold"— that is, it would
be better for thee to be deprived of my grace, because
there should then be greater hopes of thy amendment ;
but, because thou livest in tepidity, without any desire
of improvement, " I will begin to vomit thee out of my
mouth." By these words he means, that he will begin
to abandon the soul ; for, what is vomited, is taken back
only with great horror.
12. A certain author says, that tepidity is a hectic
fever, which does not excite alarm, because it is not
perceived ; but it is, at the same time, so malignant that
it is rarely cured. The comparison is very just; for
tepidity makes the soul insensible to remorses of con
science ; and, as she is accustomed to feel no remorse
for venial faults, she will by degrees become insensible
to the stings of remorse which arise from mortal sins.
13. Let us come to the remedy. The amendment of
a tepid soul is difficult ; but there are remedies for those
who wish to adopt them. First, the tepid must sincerely
desire to be delivered from a state which, as we have
seen, is so miserable and dangerous ; for, without this
desire, they shall not take pains to employ the proper
means. {Secondly, they must resolve to remove the
occasions of their faults ; otherwise they will always
relapse into the same defects. Thirdly, they must
earnestly beg of the Lord to raise them from so
wretched a state. By their own strength they can do
nothing ; but they can do all things with the assistance
of God, who has promised to hear the prayers of all.
" Ask, and it shall be given ; seek, and you shall find."
(Luke xi. 9.) We must pray, and continue to pray
without interruption. If we cease to pray we shall be
defeated ; but if we persevere in prayer we shall
conquer.
EVIL KFFKCTS OF BAD HABITS. 145
SERMON XX.— PALM SUNDAY.
On the evil effects of bad habits.
•' Go ye into the village that is over against you, and immediately you
shall find an ass tied."— MATT. xxi. 2.
WISHING to enter Jerusalem, to be there acknowledged
as the promised Messiah sent by God for the salvation
of the world, the Saviour said to his disciples : " Go to
a certain village, and you will find an ass tied, and a
colt with her ; loose them, and bring them to me."
" The ass which was tied," says St. Bonaventure,
" denotes a sinner." This exposition is conformable to
the doctrine of the Wise Man, who says, that the
wicked are bound by the chains of their own sins.
"His own iniquities catch the wicked, and he is fast
bound with the rope of his own sins." (Prov. v. 22.)
But, as Jesus Christ could not sit on the ass before she
was loosed, so he cannot dwell in a soul bound with
her own iniquities. If, then, brethren, there be among
you a soul bound by any bad habit, let her attend to
the admonition which the Lord addresses to her this
morning. " Loose the bond from off thy neck, 0 cap
tive daughter of Sion." (Isa. Hi. 2.) Loose the bonds
of your sins, which make you the slave of Satan.
Loose the bonds before the habit of sin gains such power
over you, as to render your conversion morally impos
sible, and thus to bring you to eternal perdition. This
morning I will show, in three points, the evil effects of
bad habits.
First Point. — A bad habit blinds the understanding.
Second Point. — It hardens the heart.
Third Point. — It diminishes our strength.
First Point. — A bad habit blinds the understanding.
1. Of those who live in the habit of sin, St. Augus
tine says : " Ipsa consuetudo non sinit videre malum,
quod faciunt." The habit of sin blinds sinners, so that
they no longer see the evil which they do, nor the ruin
146 SERMON XX.
which they "bring upon themselves ; hence they live in
blindness, as if there was neither God, nor heaven, nor
hell, nor eternity. " Sins," adds the saint, " however
enormous, when habitual, appear to be small, or not to
be sins at all." How then can the soul guard against
them, when she is no longer sensible of their deformity,
or the evil which they bring upon her?
2. St. Jerome says, that habitual sinners " are not
even ashamed of their crimes." Bad actions naturally
produce a certain shame ; but this feeling is destroyed
by the habit of sin. St. Peter compares habitual sinners
to swine wallowing in mire. " The sow that was washed
is returned to her wallowing in the mire." (2 Pet. ii.
"2 '2.) The very mire of sin blinds them ; and, therefore,
instead of feeling sorrow and shame at their unclean-
ness, they revel and exult in it. " A fool worketh
mischief as it were for sport." (Prov. x. 23.) " Who are
glad when they have done evil." (Prov. ii. 14.) Hence
the saints continually seek light from God ; for they
know that, should he withdraw his light, they may
become the greatest of sinners. How, then, do so many
Christians, who know by faith that there is a hell, and
a just God, who cannot but chastise the wicked, how, I
say, do they continue to live in sin till death, and thus
bring themselves to perdition ? " Their own malice
blinded them." (Wis. ii, 21.) Sin blinds them, and thus
they are lost.
3. Job says, that habitual sinners are full of iniquities.
" His bones shall be filled with the vices of his youth."
(xx. 11.) Every sin produces darkness in the under
standing. Hence, the more sins are multiplied by a bad
habit, the greater the blindness they cause. The light
of the sun cannot enter a vessel filled with clay ; and a
heart full of vices cannot admit the light of God, which
would make visible to the soul the abyss into which she
is running. Bereft of light, the habitual sinner goes on
from sin to sin, without ever thinking of repentance.
" The wicked walk round about," (Ps. xi. 9.) Fallen
into the dark pit of evil habits, he thinks only of sin
ning, he speaks only of sins, and no longer sees the
evil of sin. In fine, he becomes like a brute devoid of
reason, and seeks and desires only what pleases the
EVIL KFFKCTS OF BAD HABITS. 147
senses. " And man, when he was in honour, did not
understand : he is compared to senseless beasts, and is
become like to them/' (Ps. xlviii. 13.) Hence the words
of the Wise Man are fulfilled with regard to habitual
sinners. " The wicked man when he comes into the
depth of sin, contemneth." (Prov. xviii. 3.) This passage
St. Chrysostom applies to habitual sinners, who, shut up
in a pit of darkness, despise sermons, calls of God, ad
monitions, censures, hell, and God, and become like the
vulture that waits to be killed by the fowler, rather than
abandon the corrupt carcass on which it feeds.
4. Brethren, let us tremble, as David did when he
said : " Let not the tempests of water drown me, nor the
deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut her mouth
upon me." (Ps. Ixviii. 16.) Should a person fall into a
pit, there is hope of deliverance as long as the mouth of
the pit is not closed ; but as soon as it is shut, he is lost.
When a sinner falls into a bad habit, the mouth of the
pit is gradually closed as his sins are multiplied ; the
moment the mouth of the pit is shut, he is abandoned
by God. Dearly beloved sinners, if you have contracted
a habit of any sin, endeavour instantly to go out of that
pit of hell, before God shall deprive you entirely of his
light, and abandon you ; for, as soon as he abandons
you by the total withdrawal of his light, all is over, and
you are lost.
Second Point. — A bad habit hardens the heart.
5. The habit of sin not only blinds the understand
ing, but also hardens the heart of the sinner. " His
heart shall be as hard as a stone, and as firm as a smith's
anvil." (Job xli. 15.) By the habit of sin the heart
becomes like a stone ; and, as the anvil is hardened by
repeated strokes of the hammer, so, instead of being
softened by divine inspirations or by instructions, the
soul of the habitual sinner is rendered more obdurate
by sermons on the judgment of God, on the torments
of the damned, and on the passion of Jesus Christ: "his
heart shall be firm as a smith's anvil." "Their heart,"
says St. Augustine, "is hardened against the dew of
grace, so^as to produce no fruit." Divine calls, remorses
of conscience, terrors of Divine justice, are showers of
148 SERMON XX.
divine grace ; but when, instead of drawing fruit from
these divine blessings, the habitual sinner continues to
commit sin, he hardens his heart, and thus, according to
St. Thomas of Yillanova, he gives a sign of his certain
damnation — " Induratio damnationis indicium;" — for,
from the loss of God's light, and the hardness of his
heart, the sinner will, according to the terrible threat of
the Holy Ghost, remain obstinate till death. " A hard
heart shall fare evil at the end." (Eccl. iii. 27.)
6. Of what use are confessions, when, in a short time
after them, the sinner returns to the same vices ? " He
who strikes his breast," says St. Augustine, " and does
not amend, confirms, but does not take away sins."
When you strike your breast in the tribunal of penance,
but do not amend and remove the occasions of sin, you
then, according to the saint, do not take away your sins,
but you make them more firm and permanent ; that is,
you render yourself more obstinate in sin. " The
wicked walk round about." (Ps. xi. 9.) Such is the
unhappy life of habitual sinners. They go round about
from sin to sin ; and if they abstain for a little, they
immediately, at the first occasion of temptation, return
to their former iniquities. St. Bernard regards as certain
the damnation of such sinners : " Ya3 homini, qui sequitur
hunc circuitum." (Serm. xii. sup. Psalmos.)
7. But some young persons may say : I will hereafter
amend, and sincerely give myself to God. But, if a
habit of sin takes possession of you, when will you
amend ? The Holy Ghost declares, that a young man
who contracts an evil habit will not relinquish it even
in his old age. A young man, according to his way,
even when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Prov.
xxii. G.) Habitual sinners have been known to yield,
even at the hour of death, to the sins which they have
been in the habit of committing. Father Kecupito
relates, that a person condemned to death, even while he
was going to the place of execution, raised his eyes, saw
a young female, and consented to a bad thought. We
read in a work of Father Gisolfo, that a certain blas
phemer, who had been likewise condemned to death,
when thrown off the scaffold, broke out into a blasphemy,
and died in that miserable state.
!
EVIL EFFECTS OF BAD HABITS. 149
8. " He hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he
will he hardeneth." (Rom. ix. 18.) God shows mercy
for a certain time, and then he hardens the heart of the
sinner. How does God harden the hearts of sinners ?
St. Augustine answers : " Obduratio Dei est non
misereri." The Lord does not directly harden the hearts
of habitual sinners; but, in punishment of their ingrati
tude for his benefits, he withdraws from them his graces,
and thus their hearts are hardened, and become like a
stone. " God does not harden the heart by imparting
malice, but by withholding mercy." God does not render
sinners obdurate by infusing the malice of obstinacy,
but by not giving them the efficacious graces by which
they would be converted. By the withdrawal of the
sun's heat from the earth, water is hardened into ice.
9. St. Bernard teaches, that hardness or obstinacy of
heart does not take place suddenly; but, by degrees the
soul becomes insensible to the divine threats, and more
obstinate by divine chastisements. " Paulatim in cordis
dulitiam itur; cor durum non minis cedit, flagellis
duratur." In habitual sinners are verified the words of
David, " And thy rebuke, 0 God of Jacob, they have
slumbered." (Ps. Ixxv. 7.) Even earthquakes, thunders,
and sudden deaths do not terrify an habitual sinner.
Instead of awakening him to a sense of his miserable
state, they rather bring on that deadly sleep in which he
slumbers and is lost.
Third Point. — A bad habit diminishes our strength.
10. " He hath torn me with wound upon wound ; he
hath rushed in upon me like a giant." (Job xvi. 15.) On
this text St. Gregory reasons thus: A person assailed by
an enemy, is rendered unable to defend himself by the
first wound which he receives ; but, should he receive a
second and third, his strength will be so much exhausted,
that death will be the consequence. It is so with sin :
after the first and second wound which it inflicts on the
soul, she shall still have some strength, but only through
the divine grace. But, if she continue to indulge in
vice, sin, becoming habitual, rushes upon her like a giant
and leaves her without any power to resist it. St. Ber
nard compares the habitual sinner to a person who has
150 SERMON XX.
fallen under a large stone, which he is unable to remove.
A person in such a case will rise only with difficulty.
" The man on whom the weight of a bad habit presses,
rises with difficulty." St. Gregory says : " Lapis super-
pc situs, cum consuetudine mens in peccato demoratur
ut esti velit exsurgere, jam non possit quia moles desuper
premit," (Moral, lib. 26, c. xxiv.)
11. St. Thomas of Villanova teaches, that a soul
which is deprived of the grace of God, cannot long
abstain from new sins. " Anima a gratia destituta diu
evadere ulteriora pcccata non potest." (Cone. 4 in Dom.
4 quadrages.) In expounding the words of David, " O
my God, make them like a wheel, and as a stubble before
the wind," (Ps. Ixxxii. 14.) St. Gregory says, that the
man who struggled for a time before he fell into the
habit of tin, as soon as he contracts the habit, yields and
yields again to every temptation, with as much facility
as a straw is moved by the slightest blast of wind.
Habitual sinners, according to St. Chrysostom, become
so weak in resisting the attacks of the devil, that,
dragged to sin by their evil habit, they are sometimes
driven to sin against their inclination. " Dura res est
consuetudo, quoenonnunquam nolentes committere cogit
illicita," Yes ; because, as St. Augustine says, a bad
habit in the course of time brings on a certain necessity
of falling into sin. " Dum consuetudini non resistitur,
facta est necessitas."
12. St. Bernardino of Sienna says, that evil habits
are changed into one's nature. " Usus veritur in na-
tura." Hence, as it is necessary for men to breathe, so
it appears that it becomes necessary for habitual sinners
to commit sins. They are thus made the slave of sin.
I say, the slaves. In society there are servants, who
serve for wages, and there are slaves, who serve by
force, and without remuneration. Having sold them
selves as slaves to the devil, habitual sinners are re
duced to such a degree of slavery, that they sometimes
sin without pleasure, and sometimes even without being
in the occasion of sin. St. Bernardino compares them
to the wings of a windmill, which continue to turn the
mill even when there is no corn to be ground ; that is,
they continue to commit sin, at least by indulging bad
EVIL EFFECTS OF BAD HABITS. 151
thoughts, even when there is no occasion of sin presented
to them. The unhappy beings, as St. Chrysostom says,
having lost the divine aid, no longer do what they wish
themselves, but what the devil wishes. "Homo per-
dito Dei auxilio, non quod vult agit, sed quod diabolus."
13. Listen to what happened in a city in Italy.
A certain young man, who had contracted a vicious
habit, though frequently called by God, and admonished
by friends to amend his life, continued to live in sin.
One day he saw his sister suddenly struck dead. He
was terrified for a short time ; but she was scarcely
buried, when he forgot her death and returned to the
vomit. In two months after he was confined to bed by
a slow fever. He then, sent for a confessor, and made
his confession. But after all this, on a certain day, he
exclaimed : Alas ! how late have I known the rigour of
divine justice ! And turning to his physician, he said:
Do not torment me any longer by medicines ; for my
disease is incurable. I know for certain that it will bring
me to the grave. And to his friends, who stood around,
he said : As for the life of this body of mine there is no
remedy, so for the life of my poor soul there is no hope.
I expect eternal death. God has abandoned me ; this
I see in the hardness of my heart. Friends and religi
ous came to encourage him to hope in the mercy of God ;
but his answer to all their exhortations was, God has
abandoned me. The writer who relates this fact says,
that, being alone with the young man, he said to him :
Have courage ; unite yourself with God ; receive the
viaticum. Friend, replied the young man, speak to a
stone. The confession which I have made has been
null for want of sorrow. I do not wish for a confessor,
nor for the sacraments. Do not bring me the viaticum ;
for, should you bring it, I will do that which must
excite borror. He then went away quite disconsolate ;
and returning to see the young man, learned from his
relatives that he expired during the night without the
aid of a priest, and that near his room frightful howlings
were heard.
14. Behold the end of habitual sinners ! Brethren,
if you have the misfortune of having contracted a habit
of sin, make, as soon as possible, a general confession ;
152 SERMON XXI.
for your past confessions can scarcely have been valid.
Go forth instantly from the slavery of the devil. Attend
to the advice of the Holy Ghost. "Give not thy ears
to the cruel." (Prov. v. 9.) Why will you serve the
devil, your enemy, who is so cruel a master — who
makes you lead a life of misery here, to bring you to
a life of still greater misery in hell for all eternity ?
" Lazarus, come forth. " Go out of the pit of sin ; give
yourself immediately to God, who calls you, and is
ready to receive you if you turn to him. Tremble ! this
may be for you the last call, to which if you do not cor
respond, you shall be lost.
SERMON XXI.— EASTER SUNDAY.
On the miserable state of relapsing sinners.
" Be not affrighted : you seek Jesus of Kazxireth, who was crucified.
He is risen ; he is not here." — MARK xvi. G.
I HOPE, my dear Christians, that, as Christ is risen, you
have in this holy paschal time, gone to confession, and
have risen from your sins. But, attend to what St.
Jerome teaches — that many begin well, but few perse
vere. " Incipere multorem est, perseverare paucorum."
Now the Holy Ghost declares, that he who perseveres
in holiness to death, and not they who begin a good
life, shall be saved. " " But he that shall persevere to
the end, he shall be saved." (Matt. xxiv. 13.) The crown
of Paradise, says St. Bernard, is promised to those who
commence, but it is given only to those who persevere.
" Inchoantibus pramium promittitur, perseverantibus
datur." (Ser. vi. Deinodo bene viv.) Since, then, bre
thren, you have resolved to give yourselves to God,
listen to the admonition of the Holy Ghost : " Son,
when thou comest to the service of God, stand in
justice and in fear, and prepare thyself for temptation."
(Eccl. ii. 1.) Do not imagine that you shall have no
more temptations, but prepare yourself for the combat,
and guard against a relapse into the sins you have con
fessed ; for, if you lose the grace of God again, you
MISERABLE STATE OF RELAPSING SINNERS. 153
shall find it difficult to recover it. I intend this day
to show you the miserable state of relapsing sinners ;
that is, of those who, after confession, miserably fall
back into the sins which they confessed.
] . Since, then, dearly beloved Christians, you have
made a sincere confession of your sins, Jesus Christ says
to you what he says to the paralytic : " Behold, thou
art made whole. Sin no more, lest some worse thing
happen to thee." (John v. 14.) By the confessions
which you have made your souls are healed, but not as
yet saved ; for, if you return to sin, you shall be again
condemned to hell, and the injury caused by the relapse
shall be far greater than that which you sustained from
your former sins. " Audis," says St. Bernard, " reci-
dere quam incidere, esse deterius." If a man recover
from a mortal disease, and afterwards fall back into it,
he shall have lost so much of his natural strength, that
his recovery from the relapse will be impossible. This
is precisely what will happen to relaxing sinners ; re
turning to the vomit — that is, taking back into tbe soul
the sins vomited forth in confession — they shall be so
weak, that they will become objects of amusement to
the devil. St. Anselm says, that the devil acquires a
certain dominion over them, so that he makes them
fall, and fall again as he wishes. Hence the miserable
beings become like birds with which a child amuses
himself. He allows them, from time to time, to fly
to a certain height, and then draws them back again
when he pleases, by means of a cord made fast to them.
Such is the manner in which the devil treats relapsing
sinners. "Sed quia ab hoste tenentur, volantes in
eadem vitia dejiciuntur."
2. St. Paul tells us, that we have to contend not
with men like ourselves, made of flesh and blood, but
with the princes of hell. " Our wrestling is not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers."
(Ephes. vii. 12.) By these words he wishes to admonish
us that we have not strength to resist the powers of
hell, and that, to resist them, the divine aid is abso
lutely necessary : without it, we shall be always defeated ;
but, with the assistance of God's grace, we shall, accord
ing to the same apostle, be able to do all things and
154 SERMON XXT.
shall conquer all enemies. " I can do all things in him
who strengtheneth me." (Phil. iv. 13.) But this assist
ance God gives only to those who pray for it. " Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find."
(Matt. vii. 7.) They who neglect to ask, do not receive.
Let us, then, be careful not to trust in our resolutions :
if we place our confidence in them, we shall be lost.
When we are tempted to relapse into sin, we must put
our whole trust in the assistance of God, who infallibly
hears all who invoke his aid.
»'i. " He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take
heed lest he fall." (1 Cor. x. 12.) They who are in the
state of grace should, according to St. Paul, be careful
not to fall into sin, particularly if they have been ever
guilty of mortal sins ; for a relapse into sin brings
greater evil on the soul. " And the last state of that
man becomes worse than the first/5 (Luke xi. 26.)
4. We are told in the Holy Scriptures, that the enemy
" will oiler victims to his drag, and will sacrifice to his
net ; because through them his meat is made dainty."
(II abac. i. ]G.) In explaining this passage St. Jerome
says, that the devil seeks to catch in his nets all men,
in order to sacrifice them to the divine justice by their
damnation. Sinners, who are already in the net, he
endeavours to bind with new chains ; but the friends of
God are his " dainty meats." To make them his slaves,
and to rob them of all they have acquired, he prepares
stronger snares. " The more fervently," says Denis
the Carthusian, " a soul endeavours to serve God, the
more fiercely does the adversary rage against her."
The closer the union of a Christian with God, and the
greater his efforts to serve God, the more the enemy is
aimed with rage, and the more strenuously he labours
to enter into the soul from which he has been expelled.
" When," says the Redeemer, " the unclean spirit is
gone out of a man, seeking rest, and not finding, he
saith : I will return into my house, whence I came out."
(Luke xi. 24.) Should he succeed in re-entering, he will
not enter alone, but will bring with him associates to
fortify himself in the soul of which he has again got
possession. Thus, the second destruction of that miser
able soul shall be greater than the first. " And the
MISERABLE STATE OF RELAPSING SINNERS. 155
last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
(Luke xi. 26.)
o. To God, the relapse of ungrateful Christians is
very displeasing. Because, after he had called and
pardoned them with so much love, he sees that, forget
ful of his mercies to them, they again turn their back
upon him and renounce his grace. " If my enemy had
reviled me, I would verily have borne with it. But
thou, a man of one mind, my guide and familiar, who
didst take sweet meats together with me/' (Ps. liv. 13,
etc.) Had my enemy, says the Lord, insulted me, I
would have felt less pain ; but to see you rebel against
me, after I had restored my friendship to you, and
after I had made you sit at my table, to eat my own
flesh, grieves me to the heart, and impels me to take
vengeance on you. Miserable the man who, after
having received so many graces from God, becomes
the enemy, from being the friend of God. He shall
find the sword of divine vengeance prepared to chastise
him. " And he that passes over from justice to sin,
God hath prepared such an one for the sword." (Eccl.
xxvi. 27.)
6. Some of you may say : If I relapse, I will soon
rise again ; for I will immediately prepare myself for
confession. To those who speak in this manner shall
happen what befell Samson. He allowed himself to be
deluded by Dalila : while he was asleep she cut off his
hair, and his strength departed from him. Awaking
from sleep, he said : "I will go out as I did before, and
shake myself, not knowing that the Lord was departed
from him/' (Judges xvi. 20.) He expected to deliver
himself as on former occasions, from the hands of the
Philistines. But, because his strength had departed
from him, he was made their slave. They pulled out
his eyes, and binding him in chains, shut him up in
prison. After relapsing into sin, a Christian loses the
strength necessary to resist temptations, because " the
Lord departs from him." He abandons him by with
holding the efficacious aid necessary to overcome tempta
tions ; and the miserable man remains blind and aban
doned in his sin.
7. "No man putting his hand to the plough, and
156
SERMON XXI.
looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke
ix. (i2.) Behold a faithful picture of a relapsing sinner.
Mark the words no man : no one, says Jesus Christ,
who begins to serve me, and looks back, is fit to enter
heaven. According to Origen, the addition of a new
sin to one committed before, is like the addition of a
new wound to a wound just inflicted. " Cum peccatum
peccato adjicitur, sicut vulnus vulneri." (Horn. i. in Ps.)
If a wound be inflicted on any member of the body,
that member certainly loses its original vigour. But,
if it receives a second wound, it shall lose all strength
and motion, without hope of recovery. The great evil
of a relapse into sin is, that it renders the soul so weak
that she has but little strength to resist temptation.
For St. Thomas says, " After a fault has been remitted,
the dispositions produced by the preceding acts remain."
(1 p., qu. 86, art. 5.) Every sin, though pardoned,
always leaves a wound on the soul. When to this
wound a new one is added, the soul becomes so weak
that, without a special and extraordinary grace from
God, it is impossible for her to conquer temptations.
8. Let us, then, brethren, tremble at the thought of
relapsing into sin, and let us beware of availing our
selves of the mercy of God to continue to offend him.
" He," says St. Augustine, " who has promised pardon
to penitents, has promised repentance to no one." God
has indeed promised pardon to all who repent of their
sins, but he has not promised to any one the grace to
repent of the faults which he has committed. Sorrow
for sin is a pure gift of God ; if he withholds it, how
will you repent ? And without repentance, how can
you obtain pardon ? Ah ! the Lord will not allow him
self to be mocked. " Be not deceived," says St. Paul,
" God is not mocked." (Gal. vi. 7.) St. Isidore tells us,
that the man who repeats the sin which he before
detested, is not a penitent, but a scoffer of God's
majesty. " Irrisor, et non pcenitens est, pui adhuc
agit, quod pcenitet." (De Sum. Bono.) And Tertullian
teaches, that where there is no amendment, repentance
is not sincere. " Ubi emendatio nulla, poeaitentia nulla."
(De Pamit.)
9. "Be penitent," said St. Peter in a discourse to the
MISERABLE STATE OF RELAPSING SINNERS. 157
Jews, " and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out." (Acts iii. 19.) Many repent, but are not con
verted. They feel a certain sorrow for the irregularities
of their lives, but do not sincerely return to God. They
go to confession, strike their breasts, and promise to
amend ; but they do not make a firm resolution to
change their lives. They who resolve firmly on a
change oHife, persevere, or at least preserve themselves
for a considerable time in the grace of God. But they
who relapse into sin soon after confession, show, as St.
Peter says, that they repent, but are not converted ;
and such persons shall in the end die an unhappy
death. "Plerumque," says St. Gregory, " mali sic
compunguntur ad justitiam, sicut plerumque boni ten-
tantur ad culpam." (Pastor., p. 3, admon. 31.) As
the just have frequent temptations to sin, but yield not
to them, because their will abhors them, so sinners feel
certain impulses to virtue ; but these are not sufficient
to produce a true conversion. The Wise Man tells us
that mercy shall be shown to him who confesses his
sins and abandons them, but not to those who merely
confess their transgressions. "He that shall confess
' his sins/ and forsake them, shall obtain mercy." (Prov.
xxviii. 13.) He, then, who does not give up, but returns
to sin after confession, shall not obtain mercy from God,
but shall die a victim of divine justice. He may expect
to die the death of a certain young Englishman, who,
as is related in the history of England, was in the habit
of relapsing into sins against purity. He always fell
back into these sins after confession. At the hour of
death he confessed his sins, and died in a manner which
gave reason to hope for his salvation. But, while a
holy priest was celebrating or preparing to celebrate
Mass for his departed tsoul, the miserable young man
appeared to him, and said that he was damned. He
added that, at the point of death, being tempted to in
dulge a bad thought, he felt himself as it were forced
to consent, and, as he was accustomed to do in the
former part of his life, he yielded to the temptation, and
thus was lost.
10. Is there then no means of salvation for relapsing
sinners ? I do not say this ; but I adopt the maxim of
158 SERMON XXI.
physicians. " In inagnis morbis a magnis initium me-
dendi sumere oportet." In malignant diseases, powerful
remedies are necessary. To return to the way of salva
tion, the relapsing sinner must do great violence to
himself. " The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,
and the violent bear it away." (Matt. xi. 12.) In the
beginning of a new life, the relapsing sinner must do
violence to himself in order to root out the bad habits
which he has contracted, and to acquire habits of virtue ;
for when he has acquired habits of virtue, the observ
ance of the divine commands shall become easy and even
sweet. The Lord once said to St. Bridget, that, to those
who bear with fortitude the first punctures of the thorns
which they experience in the attacks of the senses, in
avoiding occasions of sin, and in withdrawing from
dangerous conversations, these thorns are by degrees
changed into roses.
11. But, to use the necessary violence, and to lead a
life of regularity, you must adopt the proper means ;
otherwise you shall do nothing. After rising in the
morning, you must make acts of thanksgiving, of the
love of God, and of oblation of the actions of the day.
You must also renew your resolution never to offend
God, and beg of Jesus Christ and his holy mother to
preserve you from sin during the day. Afterwards
make your meditation and hear Mass. During the day
make a spiritual lecture and a visit to the most holy
sacrament. In the evening, say the Rosary and make
an examination of conscience. Receive the holy com
munion at least once a week, or more frequently if your
directors advise you. Be careful to choose a confessor,
to whom you will regularly go to confession. It is also
very useful to make a spiritual retreat every year in
some religious house. Honour the mother of God
every day by some particular devotion, and by fasting
on every Saturday. She is the mother of perseverance,
and promises to obtain it for all who serve her. " They
that work by me shall not sin." (Eccl. xxiv. 30.) Above
all, it is necessary to ask of God every morning the gift
of perseverance, and to beg of the Blessed Virgin to
obtain it for you, and particularly in the time of temp
tation, by invoking the name of Jesus and Alary as
AVOIDING OCCASIONS OF !SIN. 159
long as the temptation lasts. Happy the man who will
continue to act in this manner, and shall he found so
doing when Jesus Christ shall come to judge him.
" Blessed is that servant, whom, when his Lord shall
come, he shall find so doing." (Matt. xxiv. 46.)
SERMON XXII.— FIRST SUNDAY AFTER
EASTER.
On avoiding the occasions of sin.
"When the doors were shut, where Hie disciples were gathered
together for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst."
JOHN xx. 19.
WE find in this day's gospel that after his resurrection
Jesus Christ entered, though the doors were closed, into
the house in which the apostles were assembled, and
stood in the midst of them. St. Thomas says, that the
mystic meaning of this miracle is, that the Lord does
not enter into our souls unless we keep the door of the
senses shut. _ " Mistice per hoc datur intelligi, quod
Christus nobit apparet quando fores, id est sensus sunt
clausi." If, then, we wish Jesus Christ to dwell within
us, we must keep the doors of our senses closed against
dangerous occasions, otherwise the devil will make us
his slaves. I will show to-day the great danger of per
dition to which they who do not avoid the occasions of
sin expose themselves.
1. We read in the Scriptures that Christ and Lazarus
arose ^from ^ the dead. Christ rose to die no more
"Christ rising from the dead, dieth no more " (Rom. vi.
9) ; but Lazarus arose and died again. The Abbot Guerric
remarks that Christ arose free and unbound; "but
Lazarus came forth bound feet and hands." (John xi.
44.) Miserable the man, adds this author, who rises
from sin bound by any dangerous occasion : he will die
again by losing the divine grace. He, then, who wishes
to save his soul, must not only abandon sin, but also the
occasions of sin : that is, he must renounce such an inti
macy, such a house ; he must renounce those wicked com
panions, and all similar occasions that incite him to sin.
100
SKKMOX XXII.
2. In consequence of original sin, we all have an
inclination to do what is forbidden. Hence St. Paul
complained that he experienced in himself a law opposed
to reason : t( But I see another law in my members,
fighting against the law ef my mind, and captivating me
in the law of sin." (Rom. vii. 23.) Now, when a
dangerous occasion is present, it violently excites our
corrupt desires, so that it is then very difficult to resist
them : because God withholds efficacious helps from
those who voluntarily expose themselves to the occasion
of sin. "He that loveth danger shall perish in it."
(Eccl. iii. 27.) " When," says St. Thomas, in his com
ment on this passage, " we expose ourselves to danger,
God abandons us in it." St. Bernardine of Sienna
teaches that the counsel of avoiding the occasions of
sin is the best of all counsel, and as it were the foun
dation of religion. " Inter consilia Christi unum cele-
berrimum, et quasi religiouis fundamentum est, fugere
peccatorum occasiones."
3. St. Peter says that " the devil goeth about seek
ing whom he may devour." (1 Pet. v. 8.) He is con
stantly going about our souls, endeavouring to enter
and take possession of them. Hence, he seeks to place
before us the occasions of sin, by which he enters the
soul. " Explorat," says St. Cyprian, " an sit pars cujus
aditu penetret." When the soul yields to the sugges
tions of the devil, and exposes herself to the occasions
of sin, he easily enters and devours her. The ruin of
our first parents arose from their not flying from the
occasions of sin. God had prohibited them not only to
eat, but even to touch the forbidden apple. In answer
to the serpent tempting her, Eve said: "God hath
commanded us that we should not eat, and that we
should not touch it." (Gen. iii. 3.) But " she saw, took,
and eat " the forbidden fruit : she first looked at it, she
then took it into her hands, and afterwards eat it. This
is what ordinarily happens to all who expose themselves
to the occasions of sin. Hence, being once compelled
by exorcisms to tell the sermon which displeased him
most, the devil confessed that it was the sermon on
avoiding the occasions of sin. As long as we expose
ourselves to the occasions of sin, the devil laughs at all
AVOIDING OCCASIONS OF SIN. 161
our good purposes and promises made to God. The
greatest care of the enemy is to induce us not to avoid
evil occasions; for these occasions, like a veil placed
before the eyes, prevent us from seeing either the lights
received from God, or the eternal truths, or the resolu
tions we have made : in a word, they make us forget
all, and as it were force us into sin.
4. " Know it to be a communication with death ; for
thou art going in the midst of snares." (Eccl. ix. 20.)
Everyone born in this world enters into the midst of
snares. Hence, the Wise Man advises those who wish
to be secure to guard themselves against the snares of
the world, and to withdraw from them. "He that is
aware of the snares shall be secure." (Prov. xi. 15.) But
if, instead of withdrawing from them, a Christian
approaches to them, how can he avoid being caught by
them ? Hence, after having with so much loss learned
the danger of exposing himself to the danger of sin,
David said that, to continue faithful to God, he kept at
a distance from every occasion which could lead him to
relapse. " I have restrained my feet from every evil
way, that I may keep thy words." (Ps. cxviii. 101.) He
does not say from every sin, but from every evil way
which conducts to sin. The devil is careful to find
pretexts to make us believe that certain occasions to
which we expose ourselves are not voluntary, but neces
sary. When the occasion in which we are placed is
really necessary, the Lord always helps us to avoid sin ;
but we sometimes imagine certain necessities which are
not sufficient to excuse us. " A treasure is never safe/'
says ^ St. Cyprian, "as long as a robber is harboured
within ; nor is a lamb secure while it dwells in the same
den with a wolf." (Lib. de Sing. Cler.) The saint speaks
against those who do not wish to remove the occasions
of sin, and still say: "I am not afraid that I shall fall."
As no one can be secure of his treasure if he keeps a
thief in his house, and as a lamb cannot be sure of its
life if it remain in the den of a wolf, so likewise no one
can be secure of the treasure of divine grace if he is
resolved to continue in the occasion of sin. St. James
teaches that every man has within himself a powerful
enemy, that is, his own evil inclinations, which tempt
162 SERMON XXTI.
him to sin. " Every man is tempted by his own concu
piscence, drawn away, and allured." (St. James i. 14.)
If, then, we do not fly from the external occasions, how
can we resist temptation and avoid sin? Let us, therefore,
place before our eyes the general remedy which Jesus
has prescribed for conquering temptations and saving
our souls. " If thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it
out and cast it from thce." (Matt. v. 29.) If you find
that your right eye is to you a cause of damnation, you
must pull it out and cast it far from you ; that is, when
there is danger of losing your soul, you must fly from
all evil occasions. St. Francis of Assisium used to say,
as I have stated in another sermon, that the devil does
not seek, in the beginning, to bind timorous souls with
the chain of mortal sin ; because they would be alarmed
at the thought of committing mortal sin, and would
fly from it with horror : he endeavours to bind them by
a single hair, which does not excite much fear; because
by this means he will succeed more easily in strengthen
ing their bonds, till he makes them his slaves. Hence
he who wishes to be free from the danger of being the
slave of hell must break all the hairs by which the
enemy attempts to bind him ; that is, he must avoid all
occasions of sin, such as certain salutations, billets, little
presents, and words of affection. With regard to those
who have had a habit of impurity, it will not be suffi
cient to avoid proximate occasions ; if they do not fly
from remote occasions, they will very easily relapse
into their former sins.
5. Impurity, says St. Augustine, is a vice which makes
waronall, and which few conquer. " The fight is common,
but the victory rare." How many miserable souls have
entered the contest with this vice, and have been
defeated ! But to induce you to expose yourselves to
occasions of this sin, the devil will tell you not to be
afraid of being overcome by the temptation. " I do not
wish," says St. Jerome, "to fight with the hope of
victory, lest I should sometimes lose the victory." I
will not expose myself to the combat with the hope of
conquering; because, by voluntarily engaging in the
fight, I shall lose my soul and my God. To escape
defeat in this struggle, a great grace of God is necessary ;
AVOIDING OCCASIONS OF SIN. 163
and to render ourselves worthy of this grace, we must,
on our part, avoid the occasions of sin. To practise the
virtue of chastity, it is necessary to recommend ourselves
continually to God : we have not strength to preserve
it ; that strength must be the gift of God. " And as I
knew," says the Wise Man, " that I could not otherwise
be continent, except God gave it, ... I went to the Lord,
and besought him." (Wis. viii. 21.) But if we expose
ourselves to the occasions of sin, we ourselves shall
provide our rebellious flesh with arms to make war
against the soul. " Neither," says the Apostle, " yield
ye your members as instruments of sin unto iniquity."
(Rom. vi. 13.) In explaining this passage, St. Cyril of
Alexandria says : " You stimulate the flesh ; you arm it,
and make it powerful against the spirit." St. Philip
Neri used to say, that in the war against the vice of
impurity, the victory is gained by cowards — that is, by
those who fly from the occasions of this sin. But the
man who exposes himself to it, arms his flesh, and
renders it so powerful, that it will be morally impossible
for him to resist its attacks.
0. " Cry," says the Lord to Isaias, " all flesh is grass."
(Isa. xl. 6.) Now, says St. John Chrysostom, if all flesh
is grass, it is as foolish for a man who exposes himself
to the occasion of sin to hope to preserve the virtue of
purity, as to expect that hay, into which a torch has been
thrown, will not take fire. " Put a torch into hay, and
then dare to deny that the hay will burn." No, says St.
Cyprian ; it is impossible to stand in the midst of flames,
and not to burn. " Impossibile est flammis circumdari
et non ardere." (De Sing. Cler.) " Can a man," says the
Holy Ghost, " hide fire in his bosom, and his garments
not burn ? or can he walk upon hot coals, and his feet
not be burnt ?" (Prov. vi. 27, 28.) Not to be burnt in
such circumstances would be a miracle. St. Bernard
teaches, that to preserve chastity, and, at the same time,
to expose oneself to the proximate occasion of sin, " is
a greater miracle than to raise a dead man to life."
7. In explaining the fifth Psalm, St. Augustine says,
that " he who is unwilling to fly from danger, wishes to
perish in it." Hence, in another place, he exhorts those
who wish to conquer, and not to perish, to avoid
164 SERMON XXII.
dangerous occasions. " In the occasion of falling into
sin, take flight, if you desire to gain the victory." (Serm.
ccl. de temp.) Some foolishly trust in their own strength,
and do not see that their strength is like that of tow
placed in the fire. " And your strength shall be as the
ashes of tow." (Isa. i. 31 .) Others, trusting in the change
which has taken place in their life, in their confessions,
and in the promises they have made to God, say :
Through the grace of the Lord, I have now no bad
motive in seeking the company of such a person ; her
presence is not even an occasion of temptations : Listen,
all you who speak in this manner. In Mauritania there
are bears that go in quest of the apes, to feed upon
them : as soon as a bear appears, the apes run up the
trees, and thus save themselves. But what does the
bear do? He stretches himself on the ground as if
dead, and waits till the apes descend from the trees.
The moment he sees that they have descended, he springs
up, seizes on them, and devours them. It is thus the
devil acts : he makes the temptation appear to be dead ;
but when a soul descends, and exposes herself to the
occasion of sin, he stirs up temptation, and devours her.
Oh ! how many miserable souls, devoted to spiritual
things, to mental prayer, to frequent communion, and
to a life of holiness, have, by exposing themselves to the
occasion of sin, become the slaves of the devil ! We
find in ecclesiastical history that a holy woman, who
employed herself in the pious office of burying the
martyrs, once found among them one who was not as
yet dead. She brought him into her own house, and
procured a physician and medicine for him, till he re
covered. But, what happened? These two saints (as
they might be called— one of them on the point of
being a martyr, the other devoting her time to works of
mercy with so much risk of being persecuted by the
tyrants) first fell into sin and lost the grace of God, and,
becoming weaker by sin, afterwards denied the faith.
St. Macarius relates a similar fact regarding an old man
who suffered to be half- burned in defence of the faith ;
but, being brought back into prison, he, unfortunately
for himself, formed an intimacy with a devout woman
who served the martyrs, and fell into sin.
AVOIDING OCCASIONS OF SIN. 165
8. The Holy Ghost tells us, that we must fly from
sin as from a serpent. " Flee from sin as from, the
face of a serpent." (Eccl. xxi. 2.) Hence, as we not
only avoid the bite of a serpent, but are careful neither
to touch nor approach it, so we must fly not only from
sin, but also from the occasion of sin — that is, from the
house, the conversation, the person that would lead us
to sin. St. Isidore says, that he who wishes to remain
near a serpent, will not remain long unhurt. " Juxta
serpentem positus non erit din illoesus." (Lib. 2, Solit.)
Hence, if any person is likely to prove an occasion of
your ruin, the admonition of the Wise Man is, " Remove
thy way far from her, and come not nigh the doors of
her house." (Prov. v. 8.) He not only tells you not to
enter the house which has been to you a road to hell
(" Her house is the way to hell." Prov. vii. 27) ; but he
also cautions you not to approach it, and even to keep
at a distance from it. " Remove thy way far from her."
But, you will say, if I abandon that house, my temporal
affairs shall suffer. It is better that you should suffer
a temporal loss, than that you should lose your soul and
your God. You must be persuaded that, in whatever
regards chastity, there cannot be too great caution. If
we wish to save our souls from sin and hell, we must
always fear and tremble. " With fear and trembling
work out your salvation/' (Phil. ii. 12.) He who is not
fearful, but exposes himself to occasions of sin, shall
scarcely be saved. Hence, in our prayers we ought to
say every day, and several times in the day, that petition
of the OUR FATHER — " and lead us not into temptation."
Lord, do not permit me to be attacked by those tempta
tions which would deprive me of your grace. We can
not merit the grace of perseverance ; but, according to
St. Augustine, God grants it to every one that asks it,
because he has promised to hear all who pray to him.
Hence, the holy doctor says, that the Lord, " by his
promises has made himself a debtor."
166 SERMON XXIII.
SERMON XXIII.— SECOND SUNDAY AFTER
EASTER.
On scandal.
" The wolf catchcth and scattereth the sheep.1'— JOHN x. 12.
THE wolves that catch and scatter the sheep of Jesus
Christ are the authors of scandal, \vho, not content with
their own destruction, labour to destroy others. But the
Lord says : " Woe to that man by whom the scandal
cometh." (Matt, xviii. 7.) Woe to him who gives scandal,
and causes others to lose the grace of God. Origen
says, that u a person who impels another to sin, sins more
grievously than the other." If, brethren, there be any
among you who has given scandal, I will endeavour this
day to convince him of the evil he has done, that he may
bewail it and guard against it for the future. I will
show, in the first point, the great displeasure which tho
sin of scandal gives to God; and, in the second, the great
punishment which God threatens to inflict on the authors
of scandal.
First Point. — On the great displeasure which the sin
of scandal gives to God.
1. It is, in the first place, necessary to explain what
is meant by scandal. Behold how St. Thomas defines
it : " Scandal is a word or act which gives occasion to
the ruin of one's neighbour." — (2 ii., q. 45, art. 1.)
Scandal, then, is a word or act by which you are to
your neighbour the cause or occasion of losing his soul.
It may be direct or indirect. It is direct, when you
directly tempt or induce another to commit sin. It is
indirect, when, although you foresee that sinful words
or actions will be the cause of sin to another, you do
not abstain from them. But, scandal, whether it be
direct or indirect, if it be in a matter of great moment,
is always a mortal sin.
2. Let us now see the great displeasure which the
destruction of a neighbour's soul gives to God. To
understand it, we must consider how dear every soul is
ON SCANDAL. 167
to God. Ho has created the souls of all men to his own
image. " Let us make man to our image and likeness."
(Gen. i. 26.) Other creatures God has made by a fiat
— by an act of his will ; but the soul of man he 'has
created by his own breath. "And the Lord breathed
into his face the breath of life." (Gen. ii. 7.) The soul
of your neighbour God has loved for eternity. " I have
loved thee with an everlasting love." (Jer. xxxi. 3.)
He has, moreover, created every soul to be a queen in
Paradise, and to be a partner in his glory. " That by
these you may be made partakers of the divine nature."
(2 Peter i. 4.) In heaven he will make the souls of the
saints partakers of his own joy. " Enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord." (Matt. xxv. 21. To them he shall
give himself as their reward. " I am thy reward exceed
ing great." (Gen. xv. 1.)
3. But nothing can show the value which God sets
on the souls of men more clearly than what the Incar
nate Word has done for their redemption from sin and
hell. " If," says St. Eucharius, " you do not believe
your Creator, ask your Redeemer, how precious you
are." Speaking of the care which we ought to have of
our brethren, St. Ambrose says : " The great value of
the salvation of a brother is known from the death of
Christ." We judge of the value of everything by the
5 rice paid for it by an intelligent purchaser. Now,
esus Christ has, according to the Apostle, purchased
the souls of men with his own blood. " You are bought
with a great price." (1 Cor. vi. 20.) We can, then,
say, that the soul is of as much value as the blcod of a
God. Such, indeed, is the language of St. Hilary.
" Tarn copioso munere redemptio agitur, ut homo Deum
valere videatur." Hence, the Saviour tells us, that
whatsoever good or evil we do to the least of his bre
thren, we do to himself. " So long as you did it to one
of these my least brethren, you did it to me." (Matt.
xxv. 40.)
4. From all this we may infer how great is the dis
pleasure given to God by scandalizing a brother, and
destroying his soul. It is enough to say, that they who
give scandal rob God of a child, and murder a soul, for
whose salvation he has spent his blood and his life.
168 SERMON XXIII.
Hence, St. Leo calls the authors of scandals murderers.
" Quisquis scandalizat, mortem infert animao proximi."
They are the most impious of murderers; because they
kill not the body, but the soul of a brother, and rob
Jesus Christ of all his tears, of his sorrows, and of all
that he has done and suffered to gain that soul. Hence
the Apostle says : " Now, when you sin thus against
the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you
sin against Christ." (1 Cor. viii. 12.) They who scan
dalize a brother, sin against Christ ; because, as St.
Ambrose says, they deprive him of a soul for which he
has spent so many years, and submitted to so many
toils and labours. It is related, that B. Albertus Magnus
spent thirty years in making a head, which resembled
the human head, and uttered words: and that St.
Thomas, fearing that it was done by the agency of the
devil, took the head and broke it. B. Albertus com
plained of the act of St. Thomas, saying: "You have
broken on me the work of thirty years." I do not
assert that this is true ; but it is certain that, when
Jesus Christ sees a soul destroyed by scandal, he can
reprove the author of it, and say to him : Wicked
wretch, what have you done ? You have deprived me
of this soul, for which I have laboured thirty-three
years.
5. We read in the Scriptures, that the sons of Jacob,
after having s )ld their brother Joseph to certain mer
chants, told his father that wild beasts had devoured
him. " Fera pessima devoravit eum." (Gen. xxxvii. 20.)
To convince their father of the truth of what they said,
they dipped the coat of Joseph in the blood of a goat,
and presented it to him, saying: "See whether this be
thy son's coat or not " (v. 32). In reply, the afflicted
father said with tears : " It is my son's coat : an evil
wild beast hath eaten him " (v. 33). Thus, we may
imagine that, when a soul is brought into sin by scandal,
the devils present to God the garment of that soul
dipped in the blood of the Immaculate Lamb, Jesus
Christ — that is, the grace lost by that scandalized soul,
which Jesus Christ had purchased with his blood — and
that they say to the Lord : u See whether this be thy
son's coat or not." If God were capable of shedding
ON SCANDAL.
169
tears, he would weep more bitterly than Jacob did, at
the sight of that lost soul — his murdered child — and
would say : " It is my son's coat : an evil wild beast
hath eaten him." The Lord will go in search of this
wild beast, saying : " Where is the beast ? where is the
beast that has devoured my child ?" When he finds
the wild beast, what shall he do with him ?
6. "I will," says the Lord by his prophet Osee,
"meet them as a bear that is robbed of her whelps."
(Osee xiii. 8.) When the bear comes to her den, and
finds not her whelps, she goes about the wood in search
of the person who took them away. When she dis
covers the person, oh ! with what fury does she rush
upon him ! It is thus the Lord shall rush upon the
anthors of scandal, who have robbed him of his children.
Those who have given scandal, will say : My neigh
bour is already damned ; how can I repair the evil that
has been done? The Lord shall answer: Since you
have been the cause of his perdition, you must pay me
for the loss of his soul. " I will require his blood at
thy hands." (Ezec. iii. 20.) It is written in Deuter
onomy, " Thou shalt not pity him, but shalt require life
for life" (xix. 21). You have destroyed a soul ; you
must suffer the loss of your own. Let us pass to the
second point.
Second Point. — The great punishment which God
threatens to those who give scandal.
7. " Woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh."
(Matt, xviii. 7.) If the displeasure given to God by
scandal be great, the chastisement which awaits the
authors of it must be frightful. Behold how Jesus Christ
speaks of this chastisement : " But he that shall scan
dalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were
better for him that a mill-stone should be hanged about
his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth
of the sea." (Matt, xviii. 6.) If a malefactor dies on the
scaffold, he excites the compassion of the spectators,
who, at least, pray for him, if they cannot deliver him
from death. But, were he cast into the depths of the
sea, there should be no one present to pity his fate. A
certain author says, that Jesus Christ threatens the person
170 SERMON XXIII.
who scandalizes a brother with this sort of punishment,
to signify that he is so hateful to the angels and saints,
that they do not wish to recommend to God the man
who has brought a soul to perdition. " He is declared
unworthy not only to be assisted, but even to be seen."
(Man si. cap. iii. num. 4.)
8. St. John Chrysostom says, that scandal is so abo
minable in the eyes of God, that though he overlooks
very grievous sins, he cannot allow the sin of scandal
to pass without condign punishment. " Tarn Deo hor-
ribile est scandalum, ut peccata graviora dissimulet non
autem peccata ubi frater scandalizatur." God himself
says the same by the prophet Ezechiel : " Every man
of the house of Israel, if he ... set up the stumbling
block of his iniquity ... I will make him an example and
a proverb, and will cut him off from the midst of my
people." (Ezec. xiv. 7, 8.) And, in reality, scandal is
one of the sins which we find in the sacred Scriptures
punished by God with the greatest rigour. Of Hcli,
because he did not correct his sons, who gave scandal
by stealing the flesh offered in sacrifice (for parents give
scandal, not only by giving bad example, but also by
not correcting their children as they ought), the Lord
said : " Behold, I do a thing in Israel : and whosoever
shall hear it, both his ears shall tingle." (1 Kings, iii.
11.) And speaking of the scandal given by the sons
oflFeli, the inspired writer says: "Wherefore the sin
of the young men was exceeding great before the
Lord." (Ibid. ii. 17.) What was this sin exceeding great?
It was, says St. Gregory, in explaining this passage,
drawing others to sin. " Quia ad pecandum alios per-
trahcbant." Why was Jeroboam chastised ? Because
he scandalized the people : he " hath sinned, and made
Israel sin." (3 Kings, xiv. 16.) In the family of Achab,
all the members of which were the enemies of God,
Jezabel was the most severely chastised. She was
thrown down from a window, and devoured by dogs,
so that nothing remained but her " skull, and the feet,
and the extremities of her hands." And why was she
so severely punished ? Because " she set Achab on to
every evil."
9. For the sin of scandal hell was created. " In the
ON SCANDAL.
171
beginning God created heaven and earth." (Gen. i. !.)•
But, when did he create hell ? It was then Lucifer
began to seduce the angels into rebellion against (rod.
Lest he should continue to pervert those who remained
faithful to God, he was banished from heaven imme
diately after his sin. Hence Jesus Christ said to the
Pharisees, who, by their bad example, scandalized the
people, that they were children of the devil, who was
from the beginning, a murderer of souls. " You are of
your father, the devil : he was a murderer from the
beginning." (John viii. 44.) And when St. Peter gave
scandal to Jesus Christ, by suggesting to him not to
allow his life to be taken away by the Jews, and thus
endeavouring to prevent the accomplishment of redemp
tion, the Redeemer called him a devil. " Go behind
me, Satan ; thou art a scandal to me." (Matt. xvi. 23.)^
And, in reality, what other office do the authors of
scandal perform, than that of a minister of the devil ?
If he were not assisted by such impious ministers, he
certainly would not succeed in gaining so many souls.
A scandalous companion does more injury than a hun
dred devils.
10. On the words of Ezechias, "Behold, in peace is
my bitterness most bitter" (Isa. xxxviii. 17), St. Ber
nard, in the name of the Church, says : " Peace from
pagans, peace from heretics, but no peace from children."
At present the Church is not persecuted by idolaters,
or by heretics, but she is persecuted by scandalous
Christians, who are her own children. In catching
birds, we employ decoys, that is, certain birds that are
blinded, and tied in such manner that they cannot fly
away. It is thus the devil acts. " When," says St.
Ephrem, " a soul has been taken, she becomes a snare
to deceive others." After having made a young man
fall into sin, the enemy first blinds him as his own slave,
and then makes him his decoy to deceive others; and to
draw them into the net of sin, he not only impels, but
even forces him to deceive others. " The enemy," says
St. Leo, " has many whom he compels to deceive others."
(Serm. de Nativ.)
11. Miserable wretches! the authors of scandal must
suffer in hell the punishment of all the sins they have
172 SERMON XXI II.
made others commit. Cesarius relates (1. 2, c. vi.) that,
after the death of a certain person who had given
scandal, a holy man witnessed his judgment and con
demnation, and saw that, at his arrival at the gate of
hell, all the souls whom he had scandalized came to
meet him, and said to him : Come, accursed wretch, and
atone for all the sins which you have made us commit.
They then rushed in upon him, and like so many wild
beasts, began to tear him in pieces. St. Bernard says,
that, in speaking of other sinners, the Scriptures hold
out hopes of amendment and pardon ; but they speak
of those who give scandal as persons separated from
God, of whose salvation there is very little hope. " Lo
quitur tanquam a Deo separati, unde hisce nulla spes
vital esse poterit."
12. Behold, then, the miserable state of those who
give scandal by their bad example, who utter immodest
words before their companions, in the presence of young
females, and even of innocent children, who, in conse
quence of hearing those words, commit a thousand
sins. Considering how the angel-guardians of those
little ones weep at seeing them in the state of sin, and
how they call for vengeance from God against the sacri
legious tongues that have scandalized them. A great
chastisement awaits all who ridicule those who practise
virtue. For many, through fear of the contempt and
ridicule of others, abandon virtue, and give themselves
up to a wicked life. What shall be the punishment of
those who bring messages to induce others to sin ? or of
those who boast of their own wicked actions ? 0 God !
instead of weeping and repenting for having offended
the Lord, they rejoice and glory in their iniquities !
Some advise others to commit sin ; others induce them
to it ; and some, worse than the devils, teach others how
to sin. What shall we say of fathers and mothers, who,
though it is in their power to prevent the sins of their
children, allow them to associate with bad companions,
or to frequent certain dangerous houses, and permit their
daughters to hold conversations with young men ? Oh!
with what scourges shall we see such persons chastised
on the day of judgment!
13. Perhaps some father of a family among you will
ON SCANDAL. 173
say : Then, I am lost because I have given scandal? Is
there no hope of salvation for me ? No : I will not say
that you are past hope — the mercy of God is great.
He has promised pardon to all who repent. But, if you
wish to save your soul, you must repair the scandal you
have given. " Let him," says Eusebius Emmissenus,
" who has destroyed himself by the destruction of many,
redeem himself by the edification of many." (Horn. x.
ad Mon.) You have lost your soul, and have destroyed
the souls of many by your scandals. You are now
bound to repair the evil. As you have hitherto drawn
others to sin, so you are bound to draw them to virtue
by words of edification, by good example, by avoiding
sinful occasions, by frequenting the sacraments, by going
often to the church to pray, and by attending sermons.
And from this day forward avoid, as you would death,
every act and word which could scandalize others.
" Let their own ruin," says St. Cyprian, " suffice for
those who have fallen." (Lib. 1, epis. iii.) And St.
Thomas of Yillanova says: "Let your own sins be
sufficient for you." What evil has Jesus Christ done to
you that it is not enough for you to have offended him
yourselves, but you wish to make others offend him ?
This is an excess of cruelty.
14. Be careful, then, never again to give the smallest
scandal. And if you wish to save your soul, avoid as
much as possible those who give scandal. These incar
nate devils shall be damned ; but, if you do not avoid
them, you will bring yourself to perdition. '' Woe to
the world because of scandals," says the Lord (Matt.
xviii. 7), that is, many are lost because they do not fly
from occasions of scandal. But you may say : Such a
person is my friend ; I am under obligations to him ; I
expect many favours from him. But Jesus Christ says :
" If thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast
it from thee. It is better for thee, having one eye, to
enter into life, than, having two eyes, to be cast into
hell fire." (Matt, xviii. 9.) Although a certain person
was your right eye, you must withdraw for ever from
her ; it is better for you to lose an eye and save your
soul, than to preserve it and be cast into hell.
174 SKRMON XXIV.
SERMON XXIV.— THIRD SUNDAY AFTER
EASTER.
On the value of time,.
" A little while, and now you shall not see me."— JOHN xvi. 16.
THERE is nothing shorter than time, hut there is nothing
more valuable. There is nothing shorter than time;
because the past is no more, the future is uncertain,'
and the present is but a moment. This is what Jesus
Christ meant when he said: "A little while, and now
you shall not see me/' We may say the same of our
life, which, according to St. James is but a vapour,
which is soon scattered for ever. " For what is your
life ? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while."
(James iv. 14.) But the time of this life is as precious
as it is short; for, in every moment, if we spend it well,
we can acquire treasures of merits for heaven ; but, if
we employ time badly, we may in each moment commit
sin, and merit hell. I mean this day to show you how
precious is every moment of the time which God gives
us, not to lose it, and much less to commit sin, but to
perform good works and to save our souls.
1. "Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time I
have heard thee, and in the day of salvation I have
helped thee." (Isa. xlix. 8.) St. Paul explains this
passage, and says, that the acceptable time is the time
in which God has determined to confer his favours upon
us. He then adds: " Behold, now is the acceptable
time ; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. vi.
2.) The Apostle exhorts us not to spend unprofitably
the present time, which he calls the day of salvation ;
because, perhaps, after this day of salvation, there shall
be no salvation for us. " The time," says the same
Apostle, "is short; it remaineth that .they that
weep be as though they wept not; that they that
rejoice, as if they rejoiced not ; and they that buy, as
though they possessed not ; and they that use this
world, as if they used it not." (1 Cor. vii. 29, 30, 31.)
VALUE OF TIME. 175
Since, then, the time which we have to remain on this
earth is short, the Apostle tells those who weep, that
they ought not to weep, because their sorrows shall
soon pass away ; and those who rejoice, not to fix their
affections on their enjoyments, because they shall soon
have an end. Hence he concludes, that we should use
this world, not to enjoy its transitory goods, but to merit
eternal life.
2. " Son," says the Holy Ghost, " observe the time."
(Eccl. iv. '2 3.) Son, learn to preserve time, which is the
most precious and the greatest gift that God can bestow
upon you. St. Bernardino of Sienna teaches that time
is of as much value as God ; because in every moment
of time well spent the possession of God is merited. He
adds that in every instant of this life a man may obtain
the pardon of his sins, the grace of God, and the glory
of Paradise. " Modico tempore potest homo lucrari
gratiain et gloriam." Hence St. Bonaventure says that
" no loss is of greater moment than the loss of time."
(Ser. xxxvii. in Sept.)
3. But, in another place, St. Bernardino says that,
though there is nothing more precious than time, there
is nothing less valuable in the estimation of men. " Nil
pretiosius tempore, nil vilius reputatur." (Ser. ii. ad
Schol.) You will see some persons spending four or five
hours in play. If you ask them why they lose so much
time, they answer : To amuse ourselves. Others remain
half the day standing in the street, or looking out from
a window. If you ask them what they are doing, they
shall say in reply, that they are passing the time. And
why says the same saint, do you lose this time ? Why
should you lose even a single hour, which the mercy of
God gives you to weep for your sins, and to acquire
the divine grace ? "Donee hora pertranseat, quam tibi
ad agendam poenitentiam, ad acquirendam gratiam,
miseratio conditoris indulserit."
4. 0 time, despised by men during life, how much
shall you be desired at the hour of death, and parti
cularly in the other world ! Time is a blessing which
we enjoy only in this life; it is not enjoyed in the next ;
it is not found in heaven nor in hell. In hell, the
damned exclaim with tears : " Oh ! that an hour were
176
SERMON XXIV.
given to us." They would pay any price for an hour or
tor a minute, in which they might repair their eternal
rum. But this hour or minute they never shall have.
In heaven there is no weeping; but, were the saints
capable of sorrow, all their wailing should arise from the
thought of having lost in this life the time in which
they could have acquired greater glory, and from the
conviction that this time shall never more be given to
them. A deceased Benedictine nun appeared in glory
to a certain person, and said that she was in heaven,
and in the enjoyment of perfect happiness ; but that, if
she could desire anything, it would be to return to life,
and to suffer affliction, in order to merit an increase of
glory. And she added that, to acquire the glory which
corresponded to a single Ave Maria, she would 'be con
tent to suffer till the day of judgment the long and
painful sickness which brought on her death. Ilence,
St. Francis Borgia was careful to employ every moment
time for God. When others spoke of useless
things; he conversed with God by holy affections; and
so recollected was he that, when asked his opinion
on the subject of conversation, he knew not what
answer to make. Being corrected for this, he said : I
am content to be considered stupid, rather than lose my
time in vanities.
5. Some of you will say : « What evil am I doing ?"
s it not, I ask, an evil to spend your time in plays, in
conversations, and useless occupations, which are unpro
fitable to the soul ? Does God give you this time to lose
it ? " Let not," says the Holy Ghost, " the part of a
good gift overpass thee." (Eccl. xiv. 14.) The work
men of whom St. Matthew speaks did no evil ; they
only lost time by remaining idle in the streets. But
they were rebuked by the father of the family, sayino- •
MVhy stand you here all the day idle ?" (Matt. xx. 6.)
On the day of judgment Jesus Christ shall demand an
account, not only of every month and day that has been
lost, but even of every idle word. " Every idle word
that men shall speak, they shall render an account for
it on the day of judgment." (Matt. xii. 36.) He shall
likewise demand an account of every moment of the
time which you shall lose. According to St. Bernard,
VALUE OF TIME. 177
all time which is not spent for God is lost time.
"^Omne tempus quo de Deo non cogitasti, cogita te per-
disse." (Coll. 1, cap. viii.) Hence the Holy Gfhost says:
'' Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly :
for neither work nor reason. . . .shall be in hell, whither
thou art hastening." (Eccl. ix. 10.) What you can do
to-day defer not till to-morrow ; for on to-morrow you
may be dead, and may be gone into another world,
where you shall have no more time to do good, and
where you shall only enjoy the reward of your virtues,
or suffer the punishment due to your sins. " To-day
if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts."
(Ps. xciv. 8.) God calls you to confess your sins, to-
restore ill-gotten ^ goods, to be reconciled with your
enemies. Obey his call to-day ; for it may happen that
on to-morrow time may be no more for you, or that
God will call you no more. All our salvation depends
on corresponding with the divine calls, and at the time
that God calls us.
6. But some of you will perhaps say : I am young ;
after some time I will give myself to God. But,'
remember that the gospel tells us, that Jesus Christ
cursed the fig tree which he found without fruit,
although the season for figs had not yet arrived. " It
was^not the time for figs." (Mark xi. 13.) By this the
Saviour wished to signify, that man at all times, even in
youth, should produce fruits of good works ; and that
otherwise, like^the fig tree, he shall be cursed, and shall
produce no fruit for the future. " May no man here
after eat any more fruit of thee for ever." (Ibid., v. 1-i.)
" Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it
not from day to day; for his wrath shall come on a
sudden." (Eod. v. 8, 9.) If you find your soul in the
state of sin, delay not your repentance nor your confes
sion ; do not put them off even till to-morrow ; for, if
you do not obey the voice of God calling you to-day
to confess your sins, death may this day overtake you
in sin, and to-morrow there may be no hope of salva
tion for you. The devil regards the whole of our life
as very short, and therefore he loses not a moment of
time, but tempts us day and night. " The devil is
come down unto you having great wrath, knowing that
M
178 SERMON XXIV.
he hath but a short time." (Apoc. xii. 12.) The enemy,
then, never loses time in seeking to bring us to hell :
and shall we squander the time which God has given us
to save our souls ?
7. You say: "I will hereafter give myself to God."
But fi why/' answers St. Bernard, " do you, a miserable,
sinner, presume on the future, as if the Father placed
time in your power ?" (Serm. xxxviii., de Part., etc.)
Why do you presume that you will hereafter give your
self to God, as if he had given to you the time and
opportunity of returning to him whenever you wish ?
Job said with trembling, that he knew not whether
another moment of his life remained : " For I know
not how long I shall continue, and whether after a
while my Maker may take me away." (xxxii. 22.) And
you say : I will not go to confession to-day ; I will think
of it to-morrow. " Diem tenes," says St. Augustine,
" qui horam non tenes." How can you promise your
self another day, when you know not whether you shall
live another hour ? " If," says St. Teresa, " ' you are
not prepared to die to-day,' tremble, lest you die an
unhappy death."
8. {St. Bernardino weeps over the blindness of those
negligent Christians who squander the days of salva
tion, and never consider that a day once lost shall never
return. _ " Transcunt dies, salutis et nemo recogitat
sibi perire diem ut nunquam rediturum." (Serm. ad
Scholar.) At the hour of death they shall wish for
another year, or for another day ; but they shall not
have it : they shall then be told that "time shall be no
more." What price would they not then give for an
other week, for a day, or even for an hour, to prepare
the account which they must then render to God ? St.
Lawrence Justinian says, that for a single hour they
would give all their property, all their honours, and all
their delights. " Erogaret opes, honores delicias, pro
una horula." (Vit. Solit., cap. x.) But this hour shall
not be granted to them. The priest who attends them
shall say : Depart, depart immediately from this earth ;
for your time is no more. " Go forth, Christian soul,
from this world."
9. What will it profit the sinner who has led an
VALUE OF TIME. 179
irregular life, to exclaim at death : 0 ! that I had led a
life of sanctity! 0! that I had spent my years in
loving God ! How great is the anguish of a traveller,
who, when the night has fallen, perceives that he has
missed the way, and that there is no more time to
correct his mistake ! Such shall be the anguish at death
of those who have lived many years in the world, but
have not spent them for God. " The night cometh when
no man can work." (John ix. 4.) Hence the Redeemer
says to all: (C Walk whilst you have light, that the
darkness overtake you not." (John xii. 35.) Walk in
the way of salvation, now that you have the light, before
you are surprised by the darkness of death, in which you
can do nothing. You can then only weep over the time
which you have lost.
10. He hath called against me the time." (Thren. i.
15.) At the hour of death, conscience will remind us
of all the time which we have had to become saints, and
which we have employed in multiplying our debts to
God. It will remind us of all the calls and of all the
graces which he has given us to make us love him, and
which we have abused. At that awful moment we
shall also see that the way of salvation is closed for ever.
In the midst of these remorses, and of the torturing
darkness of death, the dying sinner shall say : O fool
that I have been ! 0 life misspent ! 0 lost years, in
which I could have gained treasures of merits, and have
become a saint ! but I have neglected both, and now the
time of saving my soul is gone for ever. But of what
use shall these wailings and lamentations be, when the
scene of this world is about to close, the lamp is on the
point of being extinguished, and when the dying Chris
tian has arrived at that great moment on which eternity
depends ?
11. " Be you then also ready ; for, at what hour you
think not, the Son of Man will come." (Luke xii. 40.;
The Lord says : " Be prepared." He does not tell us
to prepare ourselves when death approaches, but to be
ready for his coming ; because when we think least of
death, the Son of Man shall come and demand an ac-
count of our whole life. In the confusion of death, it will
be most difficult to adjust our accounts, so as to appear
180 SERMON XXIV.
guiltless before the tribunal of Jesus Christ. Perhaps
death may not come upon us for twenty or thirty years ;
but it may also come very soon, perhaps in a year or in
a month. If any one had reason to fear that a trial
should take place, on which his life depended, he cer
tainly would not wait for the day of the trial, but would
as soon as possible employ an advocate to plead his
cause. And what do we do ? We know for certain
that we must one day be judged, and that on the result
of that judgment our eternal, not our temporal, life
depends. We also know that that day may be very
near at hand ; and still we lose our time, and, instead
of adjusting our accounts, we go on daily multiplying
the crimes which will merit for us the sentence of
eternal death.
12. If, then, we have hitherto employed our time in
offending God, let us henceforth endeavour to bewail
our misfortune for the remainder of our life, and say
continually with the penitent King Ezechias : " I will
recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my
soul." (Isn. xxxviii. 15.) The Lord gives us the remain
ing days of life, that we may compensate the time that
has been badly spent. " Whilst we have time, let us
work good." (Gal. vi. 10.) Let us not provoke the Lord
to punish us by an unhappy death ; and if, during the
years that are passed, we have been foolish, and have
offended him, let us now attend to the Apostle exhort
ing us to be wise for the future, and to redeem the time
we have lost. " See, therefore, brethren, now you walk
circumspectly, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the
time, because the days are evil,... understanding what is
the will of God/' (Eph. v. 15, 16, 17.) " The days are
evil." According to St. Anselm, the meaning of these
words is, that the days of this life are evil, because in
them we are exposed to a thousand temptations and
dangers of eternal misery ; and therefore, to escape
perdition, all possible care is necessary. " What," says
St. Augustine, " is meant by redeeming the time, unless,
when necessary, to submit to temporal loss in order to
gain eternal goods ?" (de horn. 50, horn, i.) We should
live only to fulfil with all diligence the divine will ; and,
should it be necessary, it is better to suffer in temporal
VALUE OF TIME. 181
things, than to neglect our eternal interests. Oh ! how
well did St. Paul redeem the time which he had lost !
St. Jerome says, that though the last of the apostles, he
was, on account of his great labours, the first in merits.
" Paul, the last in order, but the first in merits, because
he laboured more than all." Let us consider that, in
each moment, we may lay up greater treasures of eternal
goods. If the possession of all the land round which
you could walk, or of all the money which you could
count in a day, were promised you, would you lose time?
or would you not instantly begin to walk over the
ground, or to reckon the money ? You now have it in
your power to acquire, in each moment, eternal trea
sures ; and will you, notwithstanding, misspend your
time ? Do not say, that what you can do to-day you
can also do to-morrow ; because this day shall be then
lost to you, and shall never return. You have this day;
but perhaps to-morrow will not be given you.
SERMON XXV.— FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER
EASTER.
On obedience to your confessor.
"Whither goest thou ?" — JOHN xiii. I'd.
To gain heaven we must walk in the path that leads to
Paradise. Many Christians, who have faith, but not
works, live in sin, intent only on the pleasures and goods
of this world. If you say to one of them : you are a
Christian ; you believe that there is an eternity, a
heaven, and a hell : tell me, do you wish to save your
soul ? If you do, I will ask you, in the words of this
day's gospel, " whither goest thou?" He will answer:
I do not know, but I hope to be saved. You know not
whither you are going. How can you hope for salva
tion from God, if you live in a state of perdition ?
How can you expect heaven, if you walk in the way
that leads to hell ? It is necessary, then, to change the
road ; and for this purpose you must put yourself in
the hands of a good confessor, who will point out to
182 SERMON XXV.
you the way to heaven, and you must obey him punc
tually. " My sheep," said Jesus Christ, " hear my
voice." (John x. 27.) We have not Jesus Christ on
earth to make us sensibly hear his voice ; but, in his
stead, he has left us his priests, and has told us, that he
who hears them hears him, and he who despises them
despises him. " He that heareth you hcareth me, and
he that despiseth you despiseth me." (Luke x. 16.)
Happy they who are obedient to their spiritual father :
unhappy they who do not obey him ; for, by their dis
obedience, they give a proof that they are not among
the sheep of Jesus Christ. I intend this day to show,
in the first point, how secure of salvation are all who
obey their confessor ; and, in the second point, how
great the danger of perdition to which they who do not
obey him are exposed.
First Point. How secure of salvation are they who
obey their confessor.
1. In leaving us spiritual fathers to guide us in the
way of salvation Jesus Christ has bestowed upon us a
great benefit. To obtain salvation we must follow the
will of God in all things. What, I ask, is necessary in
order to save our souls and to become saints ? Some
imagine that sanctity consists in performing many works
of penance ; but were a sick man to perform mortifica
tions which would expose him to the proximate danger
of death, he would, instead of becoming a saint, be
guilty of a very grievous sin. Others think that per
fection consists in long and frequent prayers ; but
should the father of a family neglect the education
of his children and go into the desert to pray, he, too,
would commit sin ; because, although prayer is good, a
parent is bound to take care of his children, and he
can fulfil the precept of prayer and attention to their
instruction without going into the desert. Others
believe that holiness consists in frequent communion ;
but if, in spite of a just command of her husband,
and to the injury of her family, a married woman
wished to communicate every morning, she would act
improperly, and would have to render an account of
her conduct to God. In what, then, does sanctity
OBEDIENCE TO YOUR CONFESSOR. 183
consist ? It consists in the perfect fulfilment of the
will of God. All the sins which brings souls to hell
proceed from self-will ; let us, then, says St. Bernard,
cease to do our own will ; let us follow the will of God,
and for us there shall be no hell. " Cesset propria
voluntas, et infernus non erit." (St. Bern. serm. iii., de
Resur.)
2. But some of you will ask : How shall we know
what God wills us to do ? This is a matter which, ac
cording to David, is involved in great doubts and ob
scurity. " Of the business that walketh about in the
dark." (Ps. xc. 6.) Many deceive themselves ; for pas
sion often makes them believe that they do the will of
God, when, in reality, they do their own will. Let us
thank without ceasing the goodness of Jesus Christ,
who has taught us the secure means of ascertaining the
will of God in our regard, by telling us that, if we
obey our confessor, we obey himself. <k He that heareth
you, heareth me." In the book of the foundations,
chapter x., St. Teresa says: "Let a soul take a confessor
with a determination to think no more of herself, but to
trust in the words of our Lord : l He that heareth you,
heareth me." She adds, that this is the secure way of
rinding the will of God. Hence the saint acknowledged
that it was by obedience to the voice of her director that
she attained to the knowledge and love of God. Hence,
speaking of obedience to one's confessor, St. Francis de
Sales adopts the words of Father M. Avila. How much
soever you seek, you shall never find the will of God so
securely, as by this way of humble obedience so much
recommended and practised by the ancient saints.
(Introd., etc., cap. iv.)
3. He that acts according to the advice of his con
fessor, always pleases God when, through obedience, he
either practises or omits prayer, mortifications, or com
munions. He even merits a reward before God when,
to obey his confessor, he takes recreation, when he eats
or drinks, because he does the will of God. Hence
the Scripture says that " much better is obedience than
the victories of fools." (Eccl. iv. 17.) Obedience is more
pleasing to God than all the sacrifices of penitential
works, or of alms-deeds, which we can offer to him.
184 SERMON XXV.
lie that sacrifices to God his property by alms-deeds, his
honour by bearing insults, or his body by mortifications,
by fasts and penitential rigours, offers to him a part of
himself and of what belongs to him ; but he that sacri
fices to God his will, by obedience, gives to him all that
he has, and can say : Lord, having given you my will, I
have nothing more to give you.
4. Thus, obedience to a confessor is the most accept
able offering which we can make to God, and the most
secure way of doing the divine will. Blessed Henry
Suson says, that God does not demand an account of
what we do through obedience. Obey, says the Apostle,
your spiritual fathers ; and fear not anything which you
do through obedience ; for they, and not you, shall have
to render an account of your conduct. " Obey your pre
lates, and be subject to them ; for they watch, as being
to render an account of your souls ; that they may do
this with joy and not with grief." (Ileb. xiii. 17.) Mark
the last words : they signify, that penitents should obey
without reply, and without causing pain and sorrow to
their confessor. Oh ! what grief do confessors feel when
penitents endeavour, by certain pretexts and unjust com
plaints, to excuse themselves from obedience ! Let us,
then, obey our spiritual father without reply, and let us
fear not that we shall have to account for any act which
wo do through obedience. " They," says St. Philip
Neri, " who desire to advance in the way of God, should
place themselves under a learned confessor, whom they
will obey in the place of God. They who do so may be
assured that they shall not have to render to God an
account of their actions." Hence, if you practice obe
dience, and if Jesus Christ should ask you on the day of
judgment why you have chosen such a state of life ? why
you have communicated so frequently ? why you have
omitted certain works of penance ? you will answer : 0
Lord, I have done all in obedience to my confessor :
and Jesus Christ cannot but approve of what you have
done.
5. Father Marchese relates, that St. Dominic once
felt a scruple in obeying his confessor, and that our
Lord said to him : " Why do you hesitate to obey your
director ? All that he directs will be useful to you."
OBEDIENCE TO YOUR CONFESSOR. 185
Hence St. Bernard says, that " whatever a man, hold
ing the place of God commands, provided it be not cer
tainly sinful, should be received as if the command
came from God himself" (de Prsecep. et Discep., cap. xi.).
Gerson relates, that the same St. Bernard ordered one
of his disciples, who, through scruples, was afraid to say
Mass, to go, and trusting in his advice, to offer the holy
sacrifices. The disciple obeyed, and was cured of scru
ples. Some, adds Gerson, will say : " Would to God that
I had a St. Bernard for my director: my confessor is
not a St. Bernard. " Whosoever you are that speak in
this manner, you err ; for you have not put yourself
under the care of man because he is learned, but because
he is placed over you. Obey him, then, not as a man,
but as God.'' (Tract, de Prsop. ad Miss.) You have
intrusted the care of your soul to a confessor, not because
he is a man of learning, but because God has given him
to you as a guide ; and, therefore, you ought to obey
him, not as a man, but as God.
6. " An obedient man shall speak of victory." (Prov.
xxi. 28.) Justly, says St. Gregory, has the Wise Man
asserted, that they who are obedient shall overcome the
temptations of hell : because, as by their obedience,
they subject their own will to men, so they make them
selves superior to the devils, who fell through disobe
dience. " The obedient are conquerors ; because, whilst
they subject their will to others, they rule over the
angels that have fallen through disobedience" (in lib.
Beg., cap. x.) Cassian teaches, that he who mortifies
self-will beats down all vices ; because all vices proceed
from self-will. " By the mortification of the will all
vices are dried up." He who obeys his confessor, over
comes all the illusions of the devil, who sometimes makes
us expose ourselves to dangerous occasions under pretext
of doing good, and makes us engage in certain under
takings which appear holy, but which may prove very
injurious to us. Thus, for example, the enemy induces
certain devout persons to practise immoderate austerities,
which impair their health ; they then give up all morti
fications, and return to their former irregularities. This
happens to those who direct themselves ; but they who
are guided by their confessor are not in danger of fall
ing into such an illusion.
186 SERMON XXV.
7. The devil labours to make scrupulous persons
afraid that they will commit sin if they follow the advice
of their confessor. We must be careful to overcome these
vain fears. All theologians and spiritual writers com
monly teach, that it is our duty to obey the directions of
our confessors, and conquer our scruples. Natalis
Alexander says, that we must act against scruples ; and
in support of this doctrine, he adduces the doctrine of
St. Antonine, who, along with Gerson, censures scrupu
lous persons for refusing, through vain fears, to obey
their confessor, and to overcome scruples. " Beware,
lest, while you seek security, you rush into a pit." Be
careful not, through an excess of fear, to fall into the
illusions of the devil, by disobeying your director.
Hence all the spiritual masters exhort us to obey our
confessors in everything which is not manifestly sinful.
B. Hubert, of the order of St. Dominic, says that,
" unless what is commanded is evidently bad, it ought
to be received as if it were commanded by God" (lib. de
Erud. llcl., cap. 1). Blessed Denis the Carthusian
teaches, that " in doubtful matters we must obey the
precept of a superior ; because, though it may be against
God, a subject is excused from sin on account of obe
dience" (in 2, dis. xxxix., qu. 3). According to Gerson
(tr. de consc. et scrup.), to act against a conscience
formed with deliberation, and to act against a fear of
sinning in some doubtful matter, are very different
things. He adds, that we should banish this fear, and
obey our confessor. " Iste timor, quam fieri potest
adjiciendus." In a word, he who obeys his spiritual
father is always secure. St. Francis de Sales used to
say, that " a truly obedient soul has never been lost ;"
and that we should be satisfied to know from our con
fessor that we are going on well in the way of God,
without seeking further certainty of it.
Second Point. How great is the danger of perdition
to which they who do not obey their confessor are ex
posed.
8. Jesus Christ has said, that he who hears his priest,
hears him; and that he who despises them, despises him.
" Qui vos spernit, me spernit." (Luc. x. 15.) "When the
OBEDIENCE TO YOUR CONFESSOR. 187
Prophet Eliseus complained of the contempt which he
had received from the people, after God had charged
him with the direction of them, the Lord said to him :
" They have not rejected thee, but me, that I should
not reign over them." (1 Kings viii. 7.) They, then,
who despise the advice of their confessors, despise God
himself, who has made confessors his own representa
tives.
9. " Obey your prelates," says St. Paul, " and be
subject to them ; for they watch, as being to render
an account of your souls: that they may do this with
joy and not with grief; for, this is not expedient for
you." (Heb. xiii. 17.) Some penitents contend with
their confessor, and endeavour to make him adopt their
own opinion. This is the cause of grief to spiritual
directors. But the apostle says, " this is not expedient
for you ;" because, when the confessor finds that you do
not obey him, and that it is only with difficulty he can
induce you to walk in the straight path, he will give up
the direction of your soul. How deplorable the con
dition of a vessel which a pilot refuses to steer ! How
miserable the state of a sick man who is abandoned by
his physician ! When a patient refuses to obey, or to
take the medicine which has been prescribed — when he
eats and drinks what he pleases — the physician abandons
him, and allows him to follow his own caprice. But,
what hope can be entertained of the recovery of such a
patient? "Woe to him that is alone, .. .he hath none
to lift him up." (Eccl. iv. 10.) Woe to the penitent
who wishes to direct himself : he shall have no one to
enlighten or correct him, he will therefore rush into an
abyss.
10. To every one that comes into this world the
Holy Ghost says: "Thou art going in the midst of
snares." (Eccl. ix. 20.) We all, on this earth, walk in
the midst of a thousand snares ; that is, in the midst of
the temptations of the devil, dangerous occasions, bad
companions, and our own passions, which frequently
deceive us. Who shall be saved in the midst of so many
dangers ? The Wise Man says : " He that is aware of
the snares shall be secure." (Prov. xi. 15.) They only
who avoid these snares shall be saved. How shall we
188
SERMON" XXV.
avoid them ? If you had to pass by night through a
wood full of precipices, without a guide to give you
light, and to point out to you the dangerous passages,
you would certainly run a great risk of losing your life.
You wish to direct yourself: "Take heed, therefore,
that the light which is in thee he not darkness." (Luke
xi. 45.) The light which you think you possess will be
your ruin ; it will lead you into a pit.
11. God wills that, in the way of salvation, we all
submit to the guidance of our director. Such has been
the practice of even the most learned among the saints.
In spiritual things the Lord wishes us to humble our
selves, and to put ourselves under a confessor, who will
be our guide. Gerson teaches, that he who neglects
the advice of his director, and directs himself, does not
require a devil to tempt him : he becomes a devil to
himself. " Qui spreto duce, sibi dux esse vult, non in-
diget dromone tentante, quia factus est sibi ipse daemon."
(Cons, de Lib. Reg.) And when God sees that he will
not obey his minister, he allows him to follow his own
caprice. " So I let them go according to the desires of
their own hearts." (Ps. Ixxx. 13.)
12. " It is like the sin of witchcraft to rebel : and
like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey." (1 Kings
xv. 23.) In explaining this text, St. Gregory says, that
the sin of idolatry consists in abandoning God and
adoring an idol. This a penitent does when he disobeys
his confessor to do his own will : he refuses to do the
will^ of God, who has spoken to him by means of his
minister ; he adores the idol of self-will, and does what
he pleases. Hence St. John of the Cross says that,
" not to follow the advice of our confessor is pride and a
want of faith." (Tratt. delle spine, torn, iii., col. 4, § 2,
n. 8) ; for it appears to proceed from a want of faith in
the Gospel, in which Jesus Christ has said: "He that
heareth you, heareth me."
13. If, then, you wish to save your souls, obey your
confessor punctually. Be careful to have a fixed con
fessor, to whom you will ordinarily make your confes
sion ; and avoid going about from one confessor to
another. Make choice of a learned priest ; and, in the
beginning, make to him a general confession, which, as
CONDITIONS OF PRAYER. 189
we know by experience, is a great help to a true change
of life. After having made choice of a confessor, you
should not leave him without a just and manifest cause.
" Every time," says St. Teresa, " That I resolved to
leave my confessor, I felt within me a reproof more
painful than that which I received from him."
* SERMON XXVI.— FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER
EASTER.
On the conditions of prayer.
" Ask, and ye shall receive." — JOHN xvi. 24.
IN the thirty-ninth Sermon I shall show the strict
necessity of prayer, and its infallible efficacy to obtain
for us all the graces which can be conducive to our
eternal salvation. " Prayer," says St. Cyprian, " is om
nipotent ; it is one ; it can do all things." We read in
Ecclesiasticus that God has never refused to hear any
one who invoked his aid. " Who hath called upon him,
and he hath despised him?" (Eccl. ii. 12.) This he
never can do ; for he has promised to hear all who pray
to him. " Ask, and ye shall receive." But this promise
extends only to prayer which has the necessary condi
tions. Many pray ; but because they pray negligently,
they do not obtain the graces they deserve. " You ask,
and receive not, because you ask amiss." (St. James iv.
3.) To pray as we ought, we must pray, first, with
humility ; secondly, with confidence ; and thirdly, with
perseverance.
First Point. "We must pray with humility.
1. St. James tells us, that God rejects the prayers of
the proud: " God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace
to the humble" (iv. 6). He cannot bear the proud ; he
rejects their petitions, and refuses to hear them. Let
those proud Christians who trust in their own strength,
and think themselves better than others, attend to this,
and let them remember that their prayers shall be re
jected by the Lord.
J90 SERMON XXVI.
2. But lie always hears the prayers of the humble :
" The prayer of him that humbleth himself pierceth the
clouds ; and he will not depart till the Most High behold."
(Eccl. xxxv. 21.) David says, that "The Lord hath had
regard to the prayer of the humble." (Ps. ci. 18.) The
cry of the humble man penetrates the heavens, and he
will not depart till God hears his prayer. " You humble
yourself," says St. Augustine, " and God comes to you ;
you exalt yourself, and he flies from you." If you
humble yourself, God himself comes, of his own accord,
to embrace you ; but, if you exalt yourself, and boast of
your wisdom and of your actions, he withdraws from
you, and abandons you to your own nothingness.
3. The Lord cannot despise even the most obdurate
sinners, when they repent from their hearts, and humble
themselves before him, acknowledging that they are
unworthy to receive any favour from him. " A contrite
and humble heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise." (Ps.
1, 19.) Let us pass to the other points, in which there
is a great deal to be said.
Second Point. We must pray with confidence.
4. *' No one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been
confounded." (Eccl. ii. 11.) Oh! how encouraging to
sinners are these words ! Though they may have com
mitted the most enormous crimes, they are told by the
Holy Ghost, that " no man hath hoped in the Lord, and
hath been confounded." No man hath ever placed his
trust in God, and has been abandoned. He that prays
with confidence obtains whatever he asks. " All things
whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you
shall receive, and they shall come unto you." (Mark xi.
24.) When we pray for spiritual favours, let us have a
secure confidence of receiving them, and we shall in
fallibly obtain them. Hence the Saviour has taught us
to call God, in our petitions for his graces, by no other
name than that of Father ( Our Father), that we may
have recourse to him with the confidence with which a
child seeks assistance from an affectionate parent.
o. Who, says St. Augustine, can fear that Jesus
Christ, who is truth itself, can violate his promise to all
who pray to him ? " Who shall fear deception when
CONDITIONS OF PRAYER. 191
truth promises ?" Is God like men, who promise, and
do not afterwards fulfil their promise, either because in
making it they intend to deceive, or because, after hav
ing made it, they change their intention ? " God is not
as a man, that he should lie, nor as the son of man, that
he should be changed. Hath he told, then, and will he
not do ?" (Num. xxiii. 19.) Our God cannot tell a lie ;
because he is truth itself : he is not liable to change ;
because all his arrangements are just and holy.
6. And because he ardently desires our welfare, he
earnestly exhausts and commands us to ask the graces we
stand in need of. " Ask, and it shall be given you ;
seek, and you shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened
to you." (Matt. vii. 7.) Why, says St. Augustine,
should the Lord exhort us so strongly to ask his graces,
if he did not wish to give them to us ? " Non nos hor-
taretur, ut peteremus, nisi dare vellet" (de Yerb. Dom.,
ser. v.) He has even bound himself by his promise to
hear our prayers, and to bestow upon us all the graces
which we ask with a confidence of obtaining them. " By
his promises he has made himself a debtor." (S. Augus.,
ibid., ser. ii.)
7. But some will say : I have but little confidence in
God, because I am a sinner. I have been too ungrateful
to him, and therefore I see that I do not deserve to be
heard. But St. Thomas tells us, that the efficacy of our
prayers in obtaining graces from God, does not depend
on our merits, but on the divine mercy. " 0 ratio in
impetrando non innititur nostris mentis, sed soli divinao
misericordieo" (2, 2, qu. 178, a. 2, ad. 1.) As often as
we ask with confidence favours which are conducive to
our eternal salvation, God hears our prayer. I have
said, " favours conducive to our salvation ;" for, if what
we seek be injurious to the soul, God does not, and
cannot hear us. For example : if a person asked help
from God to be revenged of an enemy, or to accomplish
what would be offensive to God, the Lord will not hear
his prayers ; because, says St. Chrysostom, such a person
offends God in the very act of prayer ; he does not pray,
but, in a certain manner mocks God. " Qui orat et
peccat, non rogat Deum, sed eludit." (Horn, xi., in
Matt, vi.)
102 SERMON XXVI.
8. Moreover, if you wish to receive from God the aid
which you ask, you must remove every obstacle which
may render you unworthy of being heard. For example :
if you ask of God strength to preserve you from relaps
ing into a certain sin, but will not avoid the occasions of
the sin, nor keep at a distance from the house, from the
object, or the bad company, which led to your fall, God
will not hear your prayer. And why ? Because " thou
hast set a cloud before thee, that prayer may not pass
through/' (Thrcn. iii. 44.) Should you relapse, do not
complain of God, nor say : I have besought the Lord to
preserve me from falling into sin, but he has not heard
me. Do you not see that, by not taking away the occa
sions of sin, you have interposed a thick cloud, which
has prevented your prayers from passing to the throne
of divine mercy.
9. It is also necessary to remark that the promise of
Jesus Christ to hear those who pray to him does not
extend to all the temporal favours which we ask — such
as a plentiful harvest, a victory in a law-suit, or a deli
verance from sickness, or from certain persecutions.
These favours God grants to those who pray for them ;
but only when they are conducive to their spiritual wel
fare. Otherwise he refuses them ; and he refuses them
because he loves us, and because he knows that they
would be injurious to our souls. " A physician," says
St. Augustine, " knows better than his patient what is
useful for him" (torn. 3, cap. ccxii). The saint adds
that God refuses to some, through mercy, what he
grants to others as a chastisement. " Deus negat pro-
pitius, quac concedit iratus." Hence St. John Damas
cene says that sometimes, when we do not obtain the
graces which we ask, we receive, by not receiving
them ; because it is better for us not to receive than to
receive them. " Etiam si non accipias, non accipendo
accepisti, interdum enim non accipere quam accipendo
satius est." (ParaL, lib. 3, cap. xv.) We often ask poison
which would cause our death. How many are there
who, had they died in the sickness or poverty with
which they had been afflicted, should be saved ? But
because they recovered their health, or because they
were raised to wealth and honours, they became proud
CONDITIONS OF PRAYER. 193
and forgot God, and thus have heen damned. Hence
St. Chrysostom exhorts us to ask in our prayers what
he knows to be expedient for us. " Orantes in ejus
potestate ponamus, ut nos illud petentes exaudiat, quod
ipse nobis expendire cognoscit." (Horn. xv. in Matt.)
We should, then, always ask from God temporal
favours on the condition that they will be useful to the
soul.
10. But spiritual favours, such as the pardon of our
sins, perseverance in virtue, the gift of divine love, and
resignation to the divine will, ought to be asked of
God absolutely, and with a firm confidence of obtaining
them. " If you, then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father from Heaven give the good Spirit to them that
ask him ?" (Luke xi. 13.) If you, says Jesus Christ,
who are so much attached to earthly goods, cannot
refuse your children the blessings which you have
received from God, how much more will your Heavenly
Father (who is in himself infinitely good, and who
desires to give you his graces more ardently than you
desire to receive them) give the good spirit — that is, a
sincere contrition for their sins, the gift of divine love,
and resignation to the will of God — to those who ask
them ? " Quando Deus negabit," says St. Bernard,
" potentibus qui etiam non potentes hortatur ut pe-
tant?" (Ser. ii. de S. Andr.) How can God refuse
graces conducive to salvation to those who seek them,
when he exhorts even those who do not pray to ask
them?
11. Nor does God inquire whether the person who
prays to him is a just man or a sinner; for he has
declared that " every one that asketh, receiveth." (Luke
xi. 10.) " Every one," says the author of the Imperfect
Work, " whether he be a just man or a sinner." (Horn,
xviii.) And, to encourage us to pray and to ask with
confidence for spiritual favours, he has said : " Amen,
amen, I say to you : If you ask the Father anything in
my name, he will give it you." (John xvi. 23.) As if
he said : Sinners, though you do not deserve to receive
the divine graces, I have merited them for you from
my Father : ask, then, in my name — that is, through
N
194 SERMON XXVI.
my merits — and I promise that you shall obtain whatso
ever you demand.
Third Point. — "We must pray with perseverance.
12. It is, above all, necessary to persevere in prayer
till death, and never to cease to pray. This is what is
inculcated by the following passages of Scripture :—
" "VVe ought always to pray." (Luke xviii. 1.) " Watch
ye, therefore, praying at all times " (xxi. 36). " Pray
without ceasing." ( L Thess. v. 17.) Hence the Holy
Ghost says : " Let nothing hinder thee from praying
always." (Eccl. xviii. 22.) These words imply, not only
that we should pray always, but also that we should
endeavour to remove every occasion which may prevent
us from praying ; for, if we cease to pray, we shall be
deprived of the divine aid, and shall be overcome by
temptations. Perseverance in grace is a gratuitous gift,
which, as the Council of Trent has declared, we cannot
merit (Ses. 6, cap. xiii.) ; but St. Augustine says, that
we may obtain it by prayer. " Hoc donum Dei suppli-
citer emereri, potest id est supplicando impetrari." (de
Dono. Per., cap. vi.) Hence Cardinal Eellarmine teaches
that " we must ask it daily, in order to obtain it every
day." If we neglect to a^k it on any day, we may fall
into sin on that day.
13. If, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved —
for no one can be saved without perseverance — we must
pray continually. Our perseverance depends,' not on
one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to
obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may
be preserved in his grace. Now, to this chain of graces
a chain of prayers on our part must correspond ; with
out these prayers, God ordinarily does not grant his
graces. If we neglect to pray, and thus break the chain
of prayers, the chain of graces shall also be broken, and
we shall lose the grace of perseverance. If, says Jesus
Christ to his disciples, one of you go during the night
to a friend, and say to him : Lend me three loaves ; an
acquaintance has come to my house, and I have no
refreshment for him. The friend will answer : I am in
bed ; the door is locked ; I cannot get up. But, if the
other continue to knock at the door, and will not depart,
CONDITIONS OF PRAYER. 195
the friend will rise, and give him as many loaves as he
wishes, not through friendship, but to be freed from his
importunity. " Although he will not rise and give him
because he is his friend ; yet, because of his importunity,
he will rise, and give him as many as he needeth*"
(Luke xi. 8.) Now, if a man will give his loaves to a
friend because of his importunity, " how much more,"
says St. Augustine, te will God give, who exhorts us to
ask, and is displeased if we do not ask ?" How much
more will the Lord bestow on us his graces, if we per
severe in praying for them, when he exhorts us to ask
them, and is offended if we do not ask them ?
14. Men feel annoyed at being frequently and impor
tunately asked for a favour. But God exhorts us to pray
frequently; and, instead of being dissatisfied, he is pleased
with those who repeatedly ask his graces. Cornelius a
Lapide says, that " God wishes us to persevere in prayer,
even to importunity." (in Luc., cap. xi.) St. Jerome
says: " This importunity with the Lord is seasonable."
(in Luc. xi.) That God is pleased with frequent and
persevering prayer, may be inferred from the words of
Jesus Christ : " Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek,
and ^ you shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened to
you." (Luke xi. 9.) It was not enough to have said
asky but he added, seek, knock; in order to show, that,
during our whole Jives, we should be as importunate in
supplicating the divine graces as beggars are in asking
alms. Though they should be refused, they do not cease
to cry out, or to knock at the door; they persist in
asking relief till they obtain it.
15. If, then, we wish to obtain from God the gift of
perseverance, we must ask it from him continually and
with importunity. We must ask it when we rise in the
morning, in our meditations, in hearing Mass, in our
visits to the blessed sacrament, in going to bed at night,
and particularly when we are tempted by the devil to
commit any sin. Thus, we must always have our mouths
open praying to God, and saying: Lord, assist me; give
me light ; give me strength ; keep thy hand upon me,
and do not abandon me. We must do violence to the
Lord. " Such violence," says Tertullian, " is agreeable
to God." The violence which we offer to God by
196 SERMON XXVII.
repeated prayers does not offend him : on the contrary,
it is pleasing and acceptable in his sight. " Prayer,"
according to St. John Climacus, "piously offers violence
to God." Our supplications compel him, hut in a man
ner grateful to him. He takes great complacency in
seeing his mother honoured, and therefore wishes, as St.
Bernard says, that all the graces we receive should pass
through her hands. Hence the holy doctor exhorts us
" to seek grace, and to seek it through Mary, because
she is a mother, and her prayer cannot be fruitless." (de
Aqurcd.) When we ask her to obtain any grace for us,
she graciously hears our petitions and prays for us : and
the prayers of Mary are never rejected.
SERMON XXVII.— SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST, OR THE SUNDAY WITHIN
THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION.
On human respect.
" Whosoever killeth you, will think that he cloeth a service to God."
JOHN xvi. 2.
IN exhorting his disciples to be faithful to him under the
persecution which they were to endure, the Saviour said :
*' Yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will
think that he doeth a service to God." Thus, the enemies
of the faith believed that in putting Christians to death
they did a service to God. It is thus that many Chris
tians of the present day act. They kill their own souls
by losing the grace of God through human respect and
to please worldly friends. Oh ! how many souls has
human respect — that great enemy of our salvation —
sent to hell ! I shall speak on this subject to-day, that,
if you wish to serve God and save your souls, you may
guard as much as possible against human respect. In
the first point, I will show the importance of not being
influenced by human respect ; and in the second, I will
point out the means by which this vice may be over
come.
First Point — On the importance of not being in
fluenced by human respect.
HUMAN RESPECT. 197
1. "Woe to the world because of scandals." (Matt,
xviii. 7.) Jesus Christ has said, that through the scan
dals of the wicked, many souls fall into hell. But how
is it possible to live in the midst of the world, and not
to take scandal ? This is impossible. To avoid taking
scandal, St. Paul says, we should leave this world.
" Otherwise you must needs go out of this world."
( I Cor. v. 10.) But it is in our power to avoid fami
liarity with scandalous sinners. Hence the Apostle
adds : " But now I have written to you not to keep
company .... with such an one, not as much as to eat."
(Ibid. v. 11.) We should beware of contracting intimacy
with such sinners ; for, should we be united with them
in the bonds of friendship, we shall feel an unwillingness
to oppose their bad practices and bad counsels. Thus,
through human respect and the fear of contradicting
them, we will imitate their example, and lose the friend
ship of God.
2. Such lovers of the world not only glory in their
own iniquities ("They rejoice in most wicked things."
Prov. ii. 14) ; but, what is worse, they wish to have
companions, and ridicule all who endeavour to live like
true Christians and to avoid the dangers of offending
God. This is a sin which is very displeasing to God,
and which he forbids in a particular manner. " Despise
not a man that turneth away from sin, nor reproach
him therewith." (Eccl. viii. 6.) Despise not those
who keep at a distance from sin, and seek not to
draw them to evil by your reproaches and irregulari
ties. The Lord declares, that, for those who throw
ridicule on the virtuous, chastisements are prepared in
this and in the next life. " Judgments are prepared for
scorners, and striking hammers for the bodies of fools."
(Prov. xix. 29.) They mock the servants of God, and
he shall mock them for all eternity. "But the Lord
shall laugh them to scorn. And they shall fall after
this without honour, and be a reproach among the dead
for ever." (Wis. iv. 18.) They endeavour to make the
saints contemptible in the eyes of the world, and God
shall make them die without honour, and shall send
them to hell to suffer eternal ignominy among the
damned.
198 SERMON XXVII.
3. Not only to offend God, but also to endeavour to
make others offend him, is truly an enormous excess of
wickedness. This execrable intention arises from a con
viction that there are many weak and pusillanimous
souls, who, to escape derision and contempt, abandon
the practice of virtue, and give themselves up to a life
of sin. After his conversion to God, St. Augustine wept
for having associated with those ministers of Lucifer,
and confessed, that he felt ashamed not to be as wicked
and as shameless as they were. " Pudebat me/' says
the saint, "esse pudentem." How many, to avoid the
scoffs of wicked friends, have been induced to imitate
their wickedness ! " Behold the saint/' these impious
scoffers will say ; " get me a piece of his garment ; I will
preserve it as a relic. Why does he not become a
monk ?" How many also when they receive an insult,
resolve to take revenge, not so much through passion,
as to escape the reputation of being cowards ! How
many are there who, after having inadvertently given
expression to a scandalous maxim, neglect to retract it
(as they are bound to do), through fear of losing the
esteem of others ! How many, because they are afraid
of forfeiting the favour of a friend, sell their souls to the
devil ! They imitate the conduct of Pilate, who, through
the apprehension of losing the friendship of Caesar, con
demned Jesus Christ to death.
4. Be attentive. Brethren, if we wish to save our
souls, we must overcome human respect, and bear the
little confusion which may arise from the scoffs of the
enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ. "For there is a
shame that bringeth sin, and there is a shame that
bringeth glory and grace." (Eccl. iv. 25.) If we do not
suffer this confusion with patience, it will lead us into
the pit of si a ; but if we submit to it for God's sake, it
will obtain for us the divine grace here, and great glory
hereafter. "As," says St. Gregory, " bashfulness is
laudable in evil, so it is reprehensible in good." (Horn.
x. in Ezech.)
5. But some of you will say : I attend to my own
affairs ; I wish to save my soul ; why then should I be
persecuted ? But there is no remedy ; it is impossible
to serve God, and not be persecuted. " The wicked
HUMAN HESPECT. 199
loathe them that are in the right way." (Prov. xxix. 27.)
Sinners cannot bear the sight of the man who lives ac
cording to the Gospel, because his life is a continual
censure on their disorderly conduct; and therefore they
say: "Let us lie in wait for the just; because he is
not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and
upbraideth us with transgressions of the law/' (Wis. ii.
12.) The proud man, who seeks revenge for every insult
which he receives, would wish that all should avenge
the offences that may be offered to him. The avaricious,
who grow rich by injustice, wish that all should imitate
their fraudulent practices. The drunkard wishes to see
others indulge like himself in intoxication. The im
moral, who boast of their impurities, and can scarcely
utter a word which does not savour of obscenity, desire
that all should act and speak as they do ; and those
who do not imitate their conduct, they regard as mean,
clownish, and intractable — as men without honour and
education. " They are of the world, therefore of the
world they speak/' (1 John iv. 5.) Worldlings can
speak no other language than that of the world. Oh !
how great is their poverty and blindness ! She has
blinded them, and therefore they speak so profanely.
" These things they thought, and were deceived ; for
their own malice blinded them." (Wis. ii. 21.)
6. But I say again, that there is no remedy. All, as
St. Paul says, who wish to live in union with Jesus Christ
must be persecuted by the world. "And all that will
live godly in Christ, shall suffer persecution." (2 Tim. iii.
12.) All the saints have been persecuted. You say: I
do not injure any one ; why then am I not left in
peace ? What evil have the saints, and particularly the
martyrs, done ? They were full of charity ; they loved
all, and laboured to do good to all ; and how have they
been treated by the world ? They have been flayed
alive ; they have been tortured with red-hot plates of
iron; and have been put to death in the most cruel
manner. And whom has Jesus Christ — the saint of saints
— injured ? He consoled all ; he healed all. " Virtue
went out from him, and healed all." (Luke vi. 19.)
And how has the world treated him ? It has persecuted
him, so as to make him die through pain on the infamous
gibbet of the cross.
200
SERMON XXVII.
^ 7. This happens because the maxims of the world are
diametrically opposed to the maxims of Jesus Christ.
What the world esteems, Jesus Christ regards as folly.
"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."
(1 Cor. iii. 19.) And what is foolish in the eyes of the
world— that is, crosses, sickness, contempt, and ignomi
nies—Jesus Christ holds in great estimation. " For the
word^of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolish
ness." (1 Cor. i. IS.) How, says St. Cyprian, can a man
think himself to be a Christian, when he is afraid to be
a Christian ? " Christianum se putat si Christianurn
esse veretur p" (Ser. v. de Lapsis.) If we are Christians,
let us show that we are Christians in name and in truth;
for, if we are ashamed of Jesus Christ, he will be ashamed
of us, and cannot give us a place on his right hand on
the last day. " For he that shall be ashamed of me and
my words, of him the Son of Man shall be ashamed
when he shall come in his majesty." (Luke ix. 2G.) On
the day of judgment he shall say: You have been
ashamed of me on earth : I am now ashamed to see you
with me in Paradise. Begone, accursed souls; go into
hell to meet your companions, who have been ashamed
of me. But mark the words " he that shall be ashamed
of me and of my words." St. Augustine says, that some
are ashamed to deny Jesus Christ, but do not blush to
deny the maxims of Jesus Christ. " Erubescunt negare
Christum, et non erubescunt negare verba Christi."
(Serm. xlviii.) But you may tell me, that, if you say
you cannot do such an act, because it is contrary to the
Gospel, your friends will turn you into ridicule, and
will call you a hypocrite. Then, says St. John Chry-
sostom, you will not suffer to be treated with derision
by a companion, and you are content to be hated by
God ! 'JX"on vis a conserve derideri, sed odio haberi a
Deo tuo ?" (Horn. xci. in Act. xix.)
8. The Apostle, who gloried in being a follower of
Christ, said : " The world is crucified to me, and I to
the world." (Gal. vi. 14.) As I am a person crucified to
the world— an object of its scoffs and injustice, so the
world is to me an object of contempt and abomination.
It is necessary to be convinced, that if we do not trample
on the world, the world will trample on our souls. But
HUMAN RESPECT. 201
what is the world and all its goods ? " All that is in
the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the con
cupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life." (1 John
ii. 16.) To what are all the goods of this earth reduced?
To riches, which are hut dung ; to honours, which are
only smoke ; and to carnal pleasures. But what shall
all these profit us, if we lose our souls ? " "What doth
it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer
the loss of his soul ?" (Matt. xvi. 26.)
9. He that loves God and wishes to save his soul
must despise the world and all human respect ; and to
do this, everyone must offer violence to himself. St.
Mary Magdalene had to do great violence to herself, in
order to overcome human respect and the murmurings
and scoffs of the world, when, in the presence of so
many persons, she cast herself at the feet of Jesus
Christ, to wash them with her tears, and dry them with
her hair. But she thus became a saint, and merited
from Jesus Christ pardon of her sins, and praise for her
great love. " Many sins are forgiven her because she
hath loved much." (Luke vii. 47.) One day, as St.
Francis Borgia carried to certain prisoners a vessel of
broth under his cloak, he met his son mounted on a fine
horse, and accompanied by certain noblemen. The saint
felt ashamed to show what he carried under his cloak.
But what did he do in order to conquer human respect ?
He took the vessel of broth, placed it on his head, and
thus showed his contempt for the world. Jesus Christ,
our Head and Master, when nailed to the cross, was
mocked by the soldiers. " If thou be the Son of God,
come down from the cross." (Matt, xxvii. 40.) He was
mocked by the priests, saying : " He saved others; him
self he cannot save." (Ibid., v. 42.) But he remained
firm on the cross ; he cheerfully died upon it, and thus
conquered the world.
10. " I give thanks to God," says St. Jerome, " that I
am worthy to be hated by the world." (Epis. ad Asellam.)
The saint returns thanks to God for having made him
worthy of the hatred of the world. Jesus Christ pro
nounced his disciples blessed when they should be hated
by men. " Blessed shall you be when men shall hate
you." (Luke vi. 22.) Christians, let us rejoice ; for, if
202
SERMON XXVII.
worldlings curse and upbraid us, God at the same time
praises and blesses us. "They will curse, and thou
wilt bless." (Ps. cviii. 28.) Is it not enough for us to be
praised by God, to be praised by the queen of heaven,
by all the angels, by all the saints, and by all just men ?
Let worldlings say what they wish ; but let us continue
to please God, who will give us, in the next life, a
reward proportioned to the violence we shall have done
to ourselves in despising the contradictions of men.
Each of you should figure to himself, that there is no
one in the world but himself and God. When the
wicked treat us with contempt, let us recommend to
God these blind and miserable men, who run in the
road to perdition ; and let us thank the Lord for giving
to us the light which he refuses to them. Let us con
tinue in our own way : to obtain all, it is necessary to
conquer all.
Second Point. On the means of overcoming human
respect.
11. To overcome human respect, it is necessary to fix
in our hearts the holy resolution of preferring the grace
of God to all the goods and favours of this world, and
to say with St. Paul: "Neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, . . . .nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God." (Rom. viii. 38, 39.) Jesus Christ exhorts us not
to be afraid of those who can take away the life of the
body ; but to fear him only who can condemn the soul
and body to hell. " And fear you not them that kill the
body ; but rather fear him that can destroy both soul
and body into hell." (Matt, x. 28.) We wish either to
follow God or the world ; if we wish to follow God we
must give up the world. " now long do you halt
between two sides ?" said Elias to the people. " If the
Lord be God, follow him." (3 Kings xviii. 21.) You
cannot serve God and the world. He that seeks to
please men cannot please God. " If," says the Apostle,
"I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of
Christ/' (Gal. i. 10.)
12. The true servants of God rejoice to see them
selves despised and maltreated for the sake of Jesus
HUMAN RESPECT. 203
Christ. The holy apostles " went from the presence of
the council, rejoicing that they were accounted worthy
to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus." (Acts v. 41.)
Moses could have prevented the anger of Pharaoh by not
contradicting the current report that he was the son of
Pharaoh's daughter. But he denied that he was her
son, preferring, as St. Paul says, the opprobrium of
Christ to all the riches of the world. *' Choosing rather
to be afflicted with the people of God;. .. .esteeming
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure
of the Egyptians." (Heb. xi. 25, 26.)
13. Wicked friends come to you and say : What ex
travagances are those in which you indulge ? Why do
you not act like others ? Say to them in answer : My
conduct is not opposed to that of all men ; there are
others who lead a holy life. They are indeed few ; but
I will follow their example; for the Gospel says: "Many
are called, but few are chosen." (Matt. xx. 16.) "If,"
says St. John Climacus, " you wish to be saved with the
few, live like the few." But, they will add, do you not
see that all murmur against you, and condemn your
manner of living ? Let your answer be : It is enough
for me that God does not censure my conduct. Is it
not better to obey God than to obey men ? Such was
the answer of St. Peter and St. John to the Jewish
priests : " If it be just in the sight of God to hear you
rather than God, judge ye." (Acts iv. 19.) If they ask
you how can you bear an insult ? or how, after submit
ting to it, can you appear among your equals ? answer
them by saying that you are a Christian, and that it is
enough for you to appear well in the eyes of God. Such
should be your answer to all those satellites of Satan :
you must despise all their maxims and reproaches. And
when it is necessary to reprove those who make little of
God's law, you must take courage and correct them
publicly. " Them that sin, reprove before all." (1 Tim.
v. 20.) And when there is question of the divine
honour, we should not be frightened by the dignity of
the man who offends God ; let us say to him openly :
This is sinful ; it cannot be done. Let us imitate the
Baptist, who reproved King Herod for living with his
brother's wife, and said to him: "It is not lawful for
204
SERMON XXV II I.
thee to have her." (Matt. xiv. 4.) Men indeed shall
regard us as fools, and turn us into derision ; but, on the
day of judgment they shall acknowledge that they have
been foolish, and we shall have the glory of being num
bered among the saints. They shall say : " These are
they whom we had sometime in derision. .. .We fools
esteemed their life madness, and their end without
honour. Behold how they are numbered among the
children of God, and their lot is among the saints."
(Wis. v. 3, 4, 5.)
SERMON XXVIII.— PENTECOST SUNDAY.
On conformity to the will of God.
"As the Father hath given me commandment, so do I." — JOHN
xiv. 31.
JESUS CHRIST was given to us, by God, as a saviour and
as a master. Hence he came on earth principally to
teach us, not only by his words but also by his own ex
ample, how we are to love God — our supreme good :
hence, as we read in this day's Gospel, he said to his
disciples : " That the world may know that I love the
Father, and as the Father hath given me command
ment, so do I." To show the world the love I bear to
the Father, I will execute all his commands. In an
other place he said : " I came down from heaven not to
do my own will, but the will of him that sent me."
(John vi. 38.) Devout souls, if you love God and desire
to become saints, you must seek his will, and wish what
he wishes. St. Paul tells us, that the divine love is
poured into our souls by means of the Holy Ghost.
" The charity of God is poured into our hearts by the
Holy Ghost, who is given to us." (Horn. v. 5.) If, then,
we wish for the gift of divine love, we must constantly
beseech the Holy Ghost to make us know and do the
will of God. Let us continually implore his light to
know, and his strength to fulfil the divine will. Many
wish to love God, but they, at the same time, wish to
follow their own, and not his will. Hence I shall show
to-day, in the first point, that uur sanctification consists
CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD. 205
entirely in conformity to the will of God ; and in the
second, I shall show how, and in what, we should in
practice conform ourselves to the divine will.
First Point Our sanctification consists entirely in
conformity to the will of God.
1. It is certain that our salvation consists in loving
God. A soul that does not love God is not living, but
dead. "He that loveth not, abideth in death." (1
John iii. 14.) The perfection of love consists in con
forming our will to the will of God. " And life in his
good will." (Ps. xxix. 6.) " Have charity, which is the
bond of perfection." (Col. iii. 14.) According to the
Areopagite, the principal effect of love is to unite the
wills of lovers, so that they may have but one heart and
one will. Hence all our works, communions, prayers,
penances, and alms, please God in proportion to their
conformity to the divine will ; and if they be contrary
to the will of God, they are no longer acts of virtue, but
defects deserving chastisement.
2. Whilst preaching one day, Jesus Christ was told
that his mother and brethren were waiting for him ; in
answer he said : " Whosoever shall do the will of my
Father that is in heaven, he is my brother and sister
and mother." (Matt. xii. 50.) By these words he gave
us to understand that he acknowledged as friends and
relatives those only who fulfil the will of his Father.
3. The saints in heaven love God perfectly. In what,
I ask, does the perfection of their love consist ? It con
sists in an entire conformity to the divine will. Hence
Jesus Christ has taught us to pray for grace to do the
will of God on earth, as the saints do it in heaven.
" Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt.
vi. 10.) Hence St. Teresa says, that " they who practise
prayer, should seek in all things to conform their will
to the will of God." In this, she adds, consists the
highest perfection. He that practises it in the most
perfect manner, shall receive from God the greatest
gifts, and shall make the greatest progress in interior
life. The accomplishment of the divine will has been
the sole end of the saints in the practice of all virtues.
Blessed Henry Suson used to say : "I would rather be
206 SERMOX XXVIII.
the vilest man on earth with the will of God, than be a
seraph with my own will."
4. A perfect act of conformity is sufficient to make a
person a saint. Behold, Jesus Christ appeared to St.
Paul while he was persecuting the Church, and con
verted him. What did the saint do ? He did nothing
more than offer to God his will, that he might dispose
of it as he pleased. " Lord," he exclaimed, " what
wilt thou have me to do ?'' (Acts ix. 6.) And instantly
the Lord declared to Ananias, that Saul was a vessel of
election, and apostle of the Gentiles. " This man is a
vessel of election to carry my name before the Gentiles."
(Acts ix. 15.) He that gives his will to God, gives him
all he has. He that mortifies himself by fasts and peni
tential austerities, or that gives alms to the poor for
God's sake, gives to God a part of himself and of his
goods ; but he that gives his will to God, gives him all,
and can say : Lord, having given thee my will, I have
nothing more to give thee — I have given thee all. It
is our heart — that is, our will — that God asks of us.
*' My son, give me thy heart." (Prov. xxiii. 26.) Since,
then, says the holy Abbot Nilus, our will is so accept
able to God, we ought, in our prayers, to ask of him
the grace, not that we may do what he will, but that we
may do all that he wishes us to do. Every one knows
this truth, that our sanctification consists in doing the
will of God ; but there is some difficulty in reducing it
to practice. Let us, then, come to the second point,
in which I have to say many things of great practical
utility.
Second Point How, and in what, we ought to prac
tise conformity to the will of God.
5. That we may feel a facility of doing on all occa
sions the divine will, we must beforehand offer ourselves
continually to embrace in peace whatever God ordains
or wills. Such was the practice of holy David. " My
heart," he used to say, " is ready ; 0 God ! my heart
is ready." (Ps. cvii. 2.) And he continually besought
the Lord to teach him to do his divine will. " Teach
me to do thy will." (Ps. cxlii. 1 0.) He thus deserved
to be called a man according to God's own heart. " I
CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD. 207
have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to
my own heart, who shall do all my wills." (Acts xiii.
'2'2.) And why? Because the holy king was always
ready to do whatever God wished him to do.
6. St. Teresa offered herself to God fifty times in the
day, that he might dispose of her as he pleased, and
declared her readiness to emhrace either prosperity or
adversity. The perfection of our oblation consists in our
offering ourselves to God without reserve. All are pre
pared to unite themselves to the divine will in prosperity ;
but perfection consists in conforming to it, even in adver
sity. To thank God in all things that are agreeable to
us, is acceptable to him ; but to accept with cheerfulness
what is repugnant to our inclinations, is still more pleas
ing to him. Father M. Avila used to say, that "a single
blessed be God, in adversity, is better than six thousand
thanksgivings in prosperity."
7. We should conform to the divine will, not only in
misfortunes which come directly from God — such as
sickness, loss of property, privation of friends and rela
tives — but also in crosses which come to us from men,
but indirectly from God — such as acts of injustice, defa
mations, calumnies, injuries, and all other sorts of perse
cutions. But, you may ask, does God will that others
commit sin, by injuring us in our property or in our
reputation ? No ; God wills not their sin ; but he wishes
us to bear with such a loss and with such a humiliation ;
and he wishes us to conform, on all such occasions, to his
divine will.
8. "Good things and evil... are from God." (Eccl.
xi. 14.) All blessings — such as riches and honours — and
all misfortunes — such as sickness and persecutions —
come from God. But mark that the Scripture calls
them evils, only because we, through the want of con
formity to the will of God, regard them as evils and
misfortunes. But, in reality, if we accepted them from
the hands of God with Christian resignation, they
should be blessings and not evils. The jewels which
give the greatest splendour to the crown of the saints
in heaven, are the tribulations which they bore with
patience, as coming from the hands of the Lord. On
hearing that the Sabeans had taken away all his oxen
208 SERMON XX VI II.
and asses, holy Job said : " The Lord gave, and the
Lord hath taken away." (Job i. 21.) He did not say
that the Lord gave, and that the Sabeans had taken
away ; but that the Lord gave, and that the Lord had
taken away : and therefore he blessed the Lord, believing
that all had happened through the divine will." As it
has pleased the Lord, so it is done : blessed be the name
of the Lord." (Ibid.) Being tormented with iron hooks
and burning torches, the holy martyrs Epictetus and
Atone said: " Lord, thy will be done in us." And their
last words were : " Be blessed, 0 eternal God, for having
given us the grace to accomplish thy will."
9. " Whatsoever shall befall the just man, it shall not
make him sad." (Prov. xii. 21.) A soul that loves God
is not disturbed by any misfortune that may happen to
her. Cesarius relates (lib. x., c. vi.), that a certain monk
who did not perform greater austerities than his com
panions, wrought many miracles. Being astonished at
this, the abbot asked him one day what were the works
of piety which he practised. He answered, that he was
more imperfect than the other monks ; but that his sole
concern was to conform himself to the divine will. Were
you displeased, said the abbot, with the person who in
jured us so grievously a few days ago ? No, father,
replied the monk ; I, on the contrary, thanked God for
it ; because I know that he does or permits all things
for our good. From this answer the abbot perceived the
sanctity of the good religious. We should act in a
similar manner under all the crosses that come upon us.
Let us always say : " Yea, Father ; for so hath it seemed
good in thy sight." (Matt. xi. 26.) Lord, this is pleas
ing to thee, let it be done.
10. He that acts in this manner enjoys that peace
which the angels announced at the birth of Jesus Christ
to men of good will — that is, to those whose wills are
united to the will of God. These, as the Apostle says,
enjoy that peace which exceeds all sensual delights.
u The peace of God, which surpasseth all understand
ing." (Phil. iv. 7.) A great and solid peace, which is
not liable to change. "A holy man continueth in
wisdom like the su*i ; but a fool is changing like the
moon." (Eccl. xxvii 12.) Fools — that is, sinners — are
CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD.
changed like the moon, which increases to-day, and
grows less on to-morrow ; to-day they are seen to laugh
through folly, and to-morrow, to weep through despair ;
to-day they are humhle and meek, to-morrow, proud
and furious. In a word, sinners change with prosperity
and adversity ; hut the just are like the sun, always the
same, always serene in whatever happens to them. In
the inferior part of the soul they cannot but feel some
pain at the misfortunes which befall them ; but, as long
as the will remains united to the will of God, nothing-
can deprive them of that spiritual joy which is not sub
ject to the vicissitudes of this life. " Your joy no mail
shall take from you." (John xvi. 22.)
11. He that reposes in the divine will, is like a man
placed above the clouds : he sees the lightning, and
hears the claps of thunder, and the raging of the tem
pest below, but he is not injured or disturbed by them.
And how can he be ever disturbed, when whatever he
desires always happens ? He that desires only what
pleases God, always obtains whatsoever he wishes,
because all that happens to him, happens through the
will of God. Salvian says, that Christians who are
resigned, if they be in a low condition of life, wish to be
in that state ; if they be poor, they desire poverty ; be
cause they wish whatever God wills, and therefore they
are always content. " Humiles sunt, hoc volunt, pau-
peres sunt, paupertate delectantur : itaque beati dicendi
sunt." If cold, or heat, or rain, or wind come on, he
that is united to the will of God says : I wish for this
cold, this heat, this rain, and this wind, because God
wills them. If loss of property, persecution, sickness,
or even death come upon him, he says : I wish for this
loss, this persecution, this sickness ; I even wish for
death, when it comes, because God wills it. And how
can a person who seeks to please God, enjoy greater
happiness than that which arises from cheerfully em
bracing the cross which God sends him, and from the
conviction that, in embracing it, he pleases God in the
highest degree ? So great was the joy which St. Mary
Magdalene de Pazzi used to feel at the bare mention of
the will of God, that she would fall into an ecstacy.
12. But, how great is the folly of those who resist
o
210 SERMON XXVIII.
the divine will, and, instead of receiving tribulations
with patience, get into a rage, and accuse God of treat
ing them with injustice and cruelty ! Perhaps they
expect that, in consequence of their opposition, what
God wills shall not happen ? " Who resisteth his will ?"
(Rom. ix. 19.) Miserable men ! instead of lightening
the cross which God sends them, they make it more
heavy and painful. " Who hath resisted him, and hath
peace ?" (Job ix. 4.) Let us be resigned to the divine
will, and we shall thus render our crosses light, and
shall gain great treasures of merits for eternal life. In
sending us tribulations, God intends to make us saints.
" This is the will of God, your sanctification." (1 Thess.
iv. 3.) He sends us crosses, not because he wishes evil
to us, but because he desires our welfare, and because
he knows that they are conducive to our salvation.
" All things work together unto good." (Rom. viii. 28.)
Even the chastisements which come from the Lord are
not for our destruction, but for our good and for the
correction of our faults. " Let us believe that these
scourges of the Lord....have happened for our amend
ment, and not for our destruction." (Jud. viii. 27.) God
loves us so tenderly, that he not only desires, but is
solicitous about our welfare. " The Lord," says David,
" is careful for me." (Ps. xxxix. 18.)
13. Let us, then, always throw ourselves into the
hands of God, who so ardently desires and so anxiously
watches over our eternal salvation. " Casting all your
care upon him ; for he hath care of you." (1 Peter v. 7.)
He who, during life, casts himself into the hands of
God, shall lead a happy life and shall die a holy death.
He who dies resigned to the divine will, dies a saint ;
but they who shall not have been united to the divine
will during life, shall not conform to it at death, and
shall not be saved. The accomplishment of the divine
will should be the sole object of all our thoughts during
the remainder of our days. To this end we should
direct all our devotions, our meditations, communions,
visits to the blessed sacrament, and all our prayers. We
should constantly beg of God to teach and help us to do
his will. "Teach me to do thy will." (Ps. cxlii. 10.)
Let us, at the same time, offer ourselves to accept with-
LOVE OF THE THREE DIVINE PERSONS FOR MAN. 211
out reserve whatever he ordains, saying, with the
Apostle : " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" (Acts
ix. 6.) Lord, tell me what thou dost wish me to do • I
desire to do thy will. And in all things, whether they
be pleasing or painful, let us always have in our mouths
that petition of the PATER NOSTER-— •" Thy will be done "
Let us frequently repeat it in the day, with all the
affection of our hearts. Happy we, if we lire and die
saying : " Thy will be done Tthy will be done !"
SEEMON XXIX.— TRINITY SUNDAY.
On the love of the Three Divine Persons for man.
' Sier.efore' \e&ch .Ve a11 nations, baptizing them in the name
e lather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."— MATT.
ST. LEO has said, that the nature of God is by its
essence, goodness itself. " Deus cujus natura bonitas "
Now, goodness naturally diffuses itself. " Bonum est
sui diffusivum." And by experience we know that
men of a good heart are full of love for all, and desire
to share with all the goods which they enjoy God
being infinite goodness, is all love towards us his crea
tures. Hence St. John calls him pure love _ pure
charity. "God is charity." (1 John iv. 8.) And there-
lore he ardently desires to make us partakers of his
own happiness. Faith teaches us how much the Three
Divine Persons have done through love to man, and to
enrich him with heavenly gifts. In saying to his
apostles " Teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
jnost, ' Jesus Christ wished that they should not only
instruct the Gentiles in the mystery of the Most Holy
Irmity but that they should also teach them the love
which the adorable Trinity bears to man. I intend to
propose this day for your consideration the love shown
to us by the Father in our creation ; secondly, the love
ol the hon m our redemption; and thirdly, the love of
tne Holy Ghost, in our sanctification.
First Point— The love shown to us by the Father in
our creation.
212 SERMON XXIX.
1. " I have loved thee with an everlasting love, there
fore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee." (Jer. xxxi.
3.) My son, says the Lord, I have loved you for eter
nity, and, through love for you, I have shown mercy to
you by drawing you out of nothing. Hence, beloved
Christians, of all those who love you, God has been
your first lover. Your parents have been the first to
love you on this earth ; but they have loved you only
after they had known you. But, before you had a being,
God loved you. Before your father or mother was
born, God loved you; yes, even before the creation of
the world, he loved you. And how long before creation
has God loved you? Perhaps for a thousand years, or
for a thousand ages. It is needless to count years or
ages; God loved you from eternity. "I have loved
thee with an evei lasting love." As long as he has been
God, he has luved you : as long as he has loved himself,
he has loved you. The thought of this love made St.
Agnes the Virgin exclaim : " I am prevented by another
lover." When creatures asked her heart, she answered:
Ko: I cannot prefer you to my God. He has been
the first to love me; it is then but just that he should
hold the first place in my affections.
2. Thus, brethren, God has loved you from eternity,
and through pure love, he has selected you from among
so many men whom he could have created in place of
you; but he has left them in their nothingness, and has
brought you into existence, and placed you in the world.
For the love of you he has made so many other beauti
ful creatures, that they might serve you, and that they
might remind you of the love which he has borne to
you, and of the gratitude which you ^owe to him.
" Heaven and Earth," says St. Augustine, " and all
things tell me to love thee/' When the saint beheld the
sun, the stars, the mountains, the sea, the rains, they all
appeared to him to speak, and to say : Augustine, love
God ; for he has created us that you might love him.
When the Abbe de Ranee, the founder of La Trappe,
looked at the hills, the fountains, or flowers, he said that
all these creatures reminded him of the love which God
had borne him. St. Teresa used to say, that these crea
tures reproached her with her ingratitude to God.
LOVE OF THE THREE DIVINE PERSONS FOR MAN. 213
Whilst she held a flower or fruit in her hand, St. Mary
Magdalene de Pazzi used to feel her heart wounded
with divine love, and would say within herself: Then,
my God has thought from eternity of creating this flower
and this fruit that I might love him.
3. Moreover, seeing us condemned to hell, in punish
ment of our sins, the Eternal Father, through love for
us, has sent his Son on the earth to die on the cross, in
order to redeem us from hell, and to bring us with him
self into Paradise. " God so loved the world, as to give
his only begotten Son " (John iii. 16), love, which the
apostle calls an excess of love. " For his exceeding
charity wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, has quickened us together in Christ." (Eph.
ii. 4, 5.)
4. See also the special love which God has shown you
in bringing you into life in a Christian country, and in
the bosom of the Catholic or true Church. How many
are born among the pagans, among the Jews, among
the Mahometans and heretics, and all are lost. Con
sider that, compared with these, only a few — not even
the tenth part of the human race — have the happiness
of being born in a country where the true faith reigns ;
and, amon^ that small number, he has chosen you. Oh !
what an invaluable benefit is the gift of faith ! How
many millions of souls, among infidels and heretics, are
deprived of the sacraments, of sermons, of good example,
and of the other helps to salvation which we possess in
the true Church. And the Lord resolved to bestow on
us all these great graces, without any merit on our part,
and even with the foreknowledge of our demerits. For
when he thought of creating us and of conferring these
favours upon us, he foresaw our sins, and the injuries
we would commit against him.
Second Point. The love which the Son of God has
shown to us in our redemption.
5. Adam, our first father, sins by eating the for
bidden apple, and is condemned to eternal death, along
with all his posterity. Seeing the whole human race
doomed to perdition, God resolved to send a redeemer
to save mankind. Who shall come to accomplish their
214 SERMON XXIX.
redemption ? Perhaps an angel or a seraph. No ; the
Son of God, the supreme and true God, equal to the
Father, offers himself to come on earth, and there to
take human fle^h, and to die for the salvation of men.
0 prodigy of Divine love ! Man, says St. Fulgen-
tius, despises God, and separates himself from God,
and through love for him, God comes on earth to
seek after rebellious man. " Homo Deum contem-
nens, a Deo disce-ssit : Deus hominem diligens, ad
homines venit." (Serm. in Xativ. Christ.) Since, says
St. Augustine, we could not go to the Redeemer, he
has deigned to come to us. " Quia ad mediatorem
venire non poteramus, ipse ad nos venire dignatus est."
And why has Jesus Christ resolved to come to us ? Ac
cording to the same holy doctor, it is to convince us of
his great love for us. " Christ came, that man might
know how much God loves him."
G. Hence the Apostle writes : " The goodness and
kindness of God our Saviour appeared." (Tit. iii. 5.)
In the Greek text, the words are : " Singularis Dei
erga homines apparuit amor :" " The singular love
of God towards men appeared." In explaining this
passage, St. Bernard says, that before God appeared on
earth in human flesh, men could not arrive at a know
ledge of the divine goodness ; therefore the Eternal
"Word took human nature, that, appearing in the form
of man, men might know the goodness of God. " Pri-
usquam apparet humanitas, latebat beniguitas, sed undo
tanta agnosci poterat ? Venit in came ut, apparante
humanitate, cognosceretur benignitas." (Serm. i., in
Eph.) And wrhat greater love and goodness could the
Son of God show to us, than to become man and to
become a worm like us, in order to save us from, perdi
tion ? What astonishment would we not feel, if we saw
a prince become a worm to save the worms of his king
dom ! And what shall we say at the sight of a God
made man like us, to deliver us from eternal death ?
"The word was made flesh." (John i. 14.) A God
made flesh ! if faith did not assure us of it, who could
ever believe it? Behold then, as St. Paul says, a Gud
as it were annihilated. " He emptied himself, taking
the form of a servant and in habit found as a man/'
LOVE OF THE THREE DIVINE PERSONS FOR MAN. 215
(Phil. ii. 7.) By these words the Apostle gives us to
understand, that the Son of God, who was filled with
the divine majesty and power, humbled himself so as
to assume the lowly and impotent condition of human
nature, taking the form or nature of a servant, and he-
coming like men in his external appearance, although,
as St. Chrysostom observes, he was not a mere man, but
man and God. Hearing a deacon singing the words of
St. John, " and the Word was made flesh," St. Peter of
Alcantara fell into ecstasy, and flew through the air to
the altar of the most holy sacrament.
7. But this God of love, the Incarnate Word, was not
content with becoming flesh for the love of man ; but,
according to Isaias, he wished to live among us, as the
last and lowest, and most afflicted of men. " There
is no beauty in him, nor comeliness : and we have seen
him despised, and the most abject of men, a man of
sorrows." (Isa. iii. 2, 3.) He was a man of sorrows.
Yes ; for the life of Jesus Christ was full of sorrows.
Virum dolorum. He was a man made on purpose to
be tormented with sorrows. From his birth till his
death, the life of our Redeemer was all full of sorrows.
8. And because he came on earth to gain our love,
as he declared when he said — " I am come to cast fire
on the earth ; and what will I but that it be kindled ?"
(Luke xii. 49), he wished at the close of his life to give
us the strongest marks and proofs of the love which he
bears to us. " Having loved his own who were in the
world, he loved them unto the end." (John xiii. 1.)
Hence he not only humbled himself to death for us, but
he also chose to die the most painful and opprobrious
of all deaths. " He humbled himself, becoming obedient
unto death, even unto the death of the cross." (Phil. ii. 8.)
They who were crucified among the Jews, were objects
of malediction and reproach to all. '* He is accursed
of God that hangeth on a tree." (Deut. xxi. 23.) Our
Redeemer wished to die the shameful death of the cross,
in the midst of a tempest of ignominies and sorrows.
" I am come into the depths of the sea, and a tempest
hath overwhelmed me." (Ps. Ixviii. 3.)
9. " In this/' says St. John, " we have known the
charity of God, because he hath laid down his life for
216 SERMON XXIX.
us." (1 John iii. 16.) And how could God give us a
greater proof of his love than hy laying down his life
for us ? Or, how is it possible for us to behold a God
dead on the cross for our sake, and not love him?
" For the charity of Christ presseth us." (2 Cor. v. 14.)
By these words St. Paul tells us, that it is not so much
•what Jesus Christ has done and suffered for our salva
tion, as the love which he has shown in suffering and
dying for us, that obliges and compels us to love him.
He has, as the same Apostle adds, died for all, that
each of us may live no longer for himself, but only
for that God who has given his life for the love of us.
" Christ died for all, that they also who live, may not
live to themselves, but unto him who died for them,
and rose again." (2 Cor. v. 15.) And, to captivate our
love, he has, after having given his life for us, left
himself for the food of our souls. " Take ye and eat :
this is my body." (Matt. xxvi. 26.) Had not faith taught
that he left himself for our food, who could ever believe
it ? But of the prodigy of divine love manifested in
the holy sacrament, I shall speak on the second Sunday
after Pentecost Let us pass to a brief consideration of
the third point.
Third Point. On the love shown to us by the Holy
Ghost in our sanctification.
.10. The Eternal Father was not content with giving
us his Son Jesus Christ, that he might save us by his
death ; he has also given us the Holy Ghost, that he
may dwell in our souls, and that he may keep them
always inflamed with holy love. In spite of all the in
juries which he received on earth from men, Jesus
Christ, forgetful of their ingratitude, after having
ascended into heaven, sent us the Holy Ghost, that,
by his holy flames, this di vine spirit might kindle in our
hearts the fire of divine charity, and sanctify our souls.
Hence, when he descended on the apostles, he appeared
in the form of tongues of fire. " And there appeared
to them parted tongues, as it were of fire." (Acts ii. 3.)
Hence the Church prescribes the following prayer : —
" We beseech thee, O Lord, that the Spirit may inflame
us with that fire which the Lord Jesus Christ sent on
LOVE OF THE THREE DIVINE PERSONS FOR MAN. 217
the earth, and vehemently wished to be enkindled."
This is the holy fire which inflamed the saints with the
desire of doing great things for God, which enabled
them to love their most cruel enemies, to seek after con
tempt, to renounce all the riches and honours of the
world, and even to embrace with joy torments and
death.
11. The Holy Ghost is that divine bond which unites
the Father with the Son ; it is he that unites our souls,
through love, with God. For, as St. Augustine says,
an union with God is the effect of love. " Charity is a
virtue which unites us with God." The chains of the
world are chains of death, but the bonds of the Holy
Ghost are bonds of eternal life, because they bind us to
God, who is our true and only life.
12. Let us also remember that all the lights, inspira
tions, divine calls, all the good acts which we have per
formed during our life, all our acts of contrition, of
confidence in the divine mercy, of love, of resignation,
have been the gifts of the Holy Ghost. " Likewise the
Spirit also helpeth our infirmity ; for we know not what
we should pray for as we ought ; but the Spirit himself
asketh for us with unspeakable groanings." (Rom. viii.
26.) Thus, it is the Holy Ghost that prays for us ; for
we know not what we ought to ask, but the Holy Spirit
teaches us what we should pray for.
13. In a word, the Three Persons of the Most Holy
Trinity have endeavoured to show the love which God
has borne us, that we may love him through gratitude.
" When," says St. Bernard, " God loves, he wishes only
to be loved/' It is, then, but just that we love that
God who has been the first to love us, and to put us
under so many obligations by so many proofs of tender
love. " Let us, therefore, love God, because God first
hath loved us." (1 John iv. 19.) Oh ! what a treasure
is charity ! it is an infinite treasure, because it makes us
partakers of the friendship of God. " She is an infinite
treasure to men, which they that use become the friends
of God." (Wis. vii. 14.) But, to acquire this treasure,
it is necessary to detach the heart from earthly things.
" Detach the heart from creatures," says St. Teresa,
"and you shall find God." In a heart filled with
218
SERMON XXX.
earthly affections, there is no room for divine love. Let
us therefore continually implore the Lord in our prayers,
communions, and visits to the blessed sacrament, to give
us his holy love ; for this love will expel from our souls
all affections for the things of this earth. " When,"
says St. Francis de Sales, " a house is on fire, all that 'is
within is thrown out through the windows." By these
words the saint meant, that when a soul is inflamed with
divine love, she easily detaches herself from creatures :
and Father Paul Segneri, the younger, used to say, that
divine love is a thief that robs us of all earthly affections,
and makes us exclaim : " What, O my Lord, but thee
alone, do I desire ?"
14. " Love is strong ns death." (Cant. viii. 6.) As no
creature can resist death when the hour of dissolution
arrives, so there is no difficulty which love, in a soul
that loves God, does not overcome. When there is
question of pleasing her beloved, love conquers all
things : it conquers pains, losses, ignominies. " Nihil
tarn durum quod non amoris igne vincatur." This love
made the martyrs, in the midst of torments, racks, and
burning gridirons, rejoice, and thank God for enabling
them to suffer for him : it made the other saints, when
there was no tyrant to torment them, become, as it
were, their own executioners, by fasts, disciplines, and
penitential austerities. St. Augustine says, that in doing
what one loves there is no labour, and if there be, the
labour itself is loved. " In eo quod amatur aut non
laboratur, aut ipse labor amatur."
SERMON XXX.— FIRST SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On charity to our neighbour.
"For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be
measured to you again." — LUKE vi. 38.
IN this day's gospel we find that Jesus Christ once said
to his disciples : " Be ye merciful, as your Father also
is merciful." (Luke vi. 36.) As your heavenly Father
is merciful towards you, so must you be merciful to
others. He then proceeds to explain how, and in what,
CHARITY TO OUR NEIGHBOUR. 219
we should practise holy charity to our neighbour.
"Judge not," he adds, " and you shall not be judged"
(v. 37). Here he speaks against those who do not
abstain from judging rashly of their neighbours. " For
give, and you shall be forgiven" (ibid). He tells us
that we cannot obtain pardon of the offences we have
offered to God, unless we pardon those who have
offended us. " Give, and it shall be given to you"
(v. 38). By these words he condemns those who wish
that God should grant whatsoever they desire, and are
at the same time niggardly and avaricious towards the
poor. In conclusion he declares, that the measure of
charity which we use to our neighbour shall be the
same that God will use towards us. Let us, then, see
how we should practise charity to our neighbour : we
ought to practise it, first, in our thoughts ; secondly, in
words ; thirdly, by works.
First Point. How we should practise charity to our
neighbour in our thoughts.
1. "And this commandment we have from God, that
he who loveth God, love also his brother." (1 John iv.
21.) The same precept, then, which obliges us to love
God, commands us to love our neighbour. St. Catherine
of Genoa said one day to the Lord : " My God, thou dost
wish me to love my neighbour ; but I can love no one
but thee." The Lord said to her in answer : " My child,
he that loves me loves whatsoever I love." Hence St.
John says : " If any man say : I love God, and hateth
his brother, he is a liar." (1 John iv. 20.) And Jesus
Christ has declared that he will receive, as done to him
self, the charity which we practise towards the least of
his brethren.
'2. Hence we must, in the first place, practise fraternal
charity in our thoughts, by never judging evil of any
one without certain foundation. " Judge not, and you
shall not be judged." He who judges without certain
grounds that another has committed a mortal sin, is
guilty of a grievous fault ; if he only rashly suspects
another of a mortal sin, he commits at least a venial
offence. But, to judge or suspect evil of another is not
sinful when we have certain grounds for the judgment
220
SERMON XXX.
or suspicion. However, he that has true charity thinks
well of all, and banishes from his mind both judgments
and suspicions. " Charity thinketh no evil." (1 Cor.
xiii. 5.) The heads of families are obliged to suspect
the evil which may be done by those who are under
their care. Certain fathers and foolish mothers know
ingly allow their sons to frequent bad company and
houses in which there are young females, and permit
their daughters to be alone with men. They endeavour
to justify the neglect of their children by saying: " I do
not wish to entertain bad thoughts of others." O folly
of parents ! They are in such cases bound to suspect
the evil which may happen ; and, in order to prevent it,
they should correct their children. But they that are
not entrusted with the care of others, ought to abstain
carefully from inquiring after the defects and conduct of
others.
3. When sickness, loss of property, or any misfortune
happens to a neighbour, charity requires that we regret,
at least with the superior part of the soul, the evil that
has befallen him. I say, " with the superior part of the
soul ;" for, when we hear of the misfortunes of an enemy,
our inferior appetite appears to feel delight ; but, as long
as we do not consent to that delight, we are not guilty
of sin. However, it is sometimes lawful to desire, or to
be pleased at, the temporal evil of another, when we
expect that it will be productive of spiritual good to
himself or to others. For example : it is lawful, accord
ing to St. Gregory, to rejoice at the sickness or misfor
tune of an obstinate and scandalous sinner, and even to
desire that he may fall into sickness or poverty, in order
that he may cease to lead a wicked life, or at least to
scandalize others. Behold the words of St. Gregory:
" E venire plerumque potest, ut non amissa charitate, et
inimici nostri ruina Iffitificet, et ejus gloria sine invidiae
culpa contristet ; cum et, ruente eo, quosdam bene erigi
credimus, et proficiente illo plerosque injuste opprimi
formidamus." (Lib. xxii., Moral., cap. ii.) But, except
in such cases, it is unlawful to rejoice at the loss of a
neighbour. It is also contrary to charity to feel regret
at a neighbour's prosperity merely because it is useful
to him. This is precisely the sin of envy. The envious
CHARITY TO OtJR NEIGHBOUR. 221
are, according to the Wise Man, on the side of the
devil, who, because he could not bear to see men in
heaven, from which he had been banished, tempted
Adam to rebel against God. " But by the envy of the
devil death came into the world ; and they follow him
that are of his side." (Wis. ii. 25.) Let us pass to the
next point.
Second Point. On the charity which we ought to
practise towards our neighbour in words.
4. With regard to the practice of fraternal charity
in words, we ought, in the first place, and above all, to
abstain from all detraction. " The tale-bearer shall
defile his own soul, and shall be hated by all." (Eccl.
xxi. 31.) As they who always speak well of others are
loved by all, so he who detracts his neighbour is hateful
to all — to God — and to men, who, although they take
delight in listening to detraction, hate the detractor, and
are on their guard against him. St. Bernard says that
the tongue of a detractor is a three-edged sword.
" Gladius equidem anceps, immo triplex est lingua de-
tractoris" (in Ps. Ivi). With one of these edges it
destroys the reputation of a neighbour ; ^ with the
second it wounds the souls of those who listen to the
detraction ; and with the third it kills the soul of the
detractor by depriving him of the divine grace. You
will say : " I have spoken of my neighbour only in secret
to my friends, and have made them promise not to men
tion to others what I told them." This excuse will not
stand : no ; you are, as the Lord says, the serpent that
bites in silence. " If a serpent bite in silence, he is
nothing better that backbiteth secretly." (Eccl. x. 11.)
Your secret defamation bites and destroys the character
of a neighbour. They who indulge in the vice of de
traction are chastised not only in the next, but also in.
this life, because their uncharitable tongues are the
cause of a thousand sins, by creating discord in whole
families and entire villages. Thomas Cantaprensis
(Apum, etc., cap. xxxvii.) relates, that he knew a certain
detractor, who at the end of life became raging mad,
and died lacerating his tongue with his teeth. The
tongue of another detractor, who was going to speak
222
SERMON XXX.
ill of St. Malachy, instantly swelled and was filled with
worms. And, after seven days, the unhappy man died
miserably.
5. Detraction is committed not only when we take
away a neighbour's character, by imputing to him a sin
which he has not committed, or exaggerating his guilt,
but also when we make known to others any of his
secret sins. Some persons, when they know anythin"
injurious to a neighbour, appear to suffer, as it were, the
pams^of childbirth, until they tell it toothers. Wlien
the sin ^of a neighbour is secret and grievous, it is a
mortal sin to mention it to others without a just cause.
I say, "without a just cause ;" for, to make known to a
parent the fault of a child, that he may correct him and
prevent a repetition of the fault, is not sinful, but is an
act of virtue ; for according to St. Thomas (2, 2, qu. 2,
art. 73), to let others know the sins of a neighbour is
unlawful, when it is done to destroy his reputation, but
not when it is done for his good, or for the good of
others.
6. They who listen to detraction, and afterwards go
and tell what was said to the person whose character
had been injured, have to render a great account to
These are called talebearers. Oh! how great
is the evil produced by these talebearing tongues that
are thus employed in sowing discord. They are objects
of God's ^ hatred. "The Lord hateth him that
soweth discord among brethren." (Prov. vi. 16, 19.)
Should the person who has been defamed speak of his
defamer, the injury which he has received may, perhaps,
give him some claim to compassion. But why should
you relate what you have heard ? Is it to create ill-will
and hatred that shall be the cause of a thousand sins ?
If, from this day forward, you ever hear anything in
jurious to a neighbour, follow the advice of the Holy
Ghost. " Hast thou heard a word against thy neigh
bour ? let it die with thee." (Eccl. xix. 10.) You should
not only keep it shut up in your heart, but you must let
it die within you. He that is only shut up may escape
and be seen; but he that is dead cannot leave the
grave. When, then, you know anything injurious to
your neighbour, you ought to be careful not to give
CHARITY TO OUR NEIGHBOUR. 223
any intimation of it to others by words, by motions of
the head, or by any other sign. Sometimes greater in
jury is done to others by certain singular signs and
broken words than by a full statement of their guilt ;
because these hints make persons suspect that the evil is
greater than it really is.
7. In your conversations be careful not to give pain to
any companion, either present or absent, by turning him
into ridicule. You may say: "I do it through jest;"
but such jests are contrary to charity. " All things,
therefore," says Jesus Christ, " that you will that men
should do to you, do you also unto them." (Matt. vii. 12.)
W ould you like to be treated with derision before others ?
Give up, then, the practice of ridiculing your neighbours.
Abstain also from contending about useless trifles. Some
times, certain contests about mere trifles grow so warm
that they end in quarrels and injurious words. Some
persons are so full of the spirit of contradiction, that
they controvert what others say, without any necessity,
and solely for the sake of contention, and thus violate
charity. " Strive not," says the Holy Ghost, " in
matters which do not concern thee." (Eccl. xi. 9.) But
they will say : " I only defend reason ; I cannot bear
these assertions which are contrary to reason." In
answer to these defenders of reason, Cardinal Bellar-
mine says, that an ounce of charity is better than an
hundred loads of reason. In conversation, particularly
when the subject of it is unimportant, state your opinion,
if you wish to take part in the discourse, and then keep
yourself in peace, and be on your guard against obsti
nacy in defending your own opinion. In such contests
it is always better to yield. B. Egidius used to say,
that he who gives up conquers ; because he is superior
in virtue, and preserves peace, which is far more valu
able than a victory in such contests. St. Joseph Cala-
sanctius was accustomed to say, that "he who loves
peace never contradicts any one."
8. Thus, dearly beloved brethren, if you wish to be
loved by God and by men, endeavour always to speak
well of all. And, should you happen to hear a person
speak ill of a neighbour, be careful not to encourage
his uncharitableness, nor to show any curiosity to hear
224 SERMON XXX.
the faults of others. If you do, you will be guilty of
the same sin which the detractor commits. " Hedge in
thy ears with thorns," says Ecclesiasticus, " and hear
not a wicked tongue." (Eccl. xxviii. 28.) When you hear
any one taking away the character of another, place
around your ears a hedge of thorns, that detraction may
not enter. For this purpose it is necessary, at least, to
show that the discourse is not pleasing to you. This
may be done by remaining silent, by putting on a
sorrowful countenance, by casting down the eyes, or
turning your face in another direction. In a word, act,
says St. Jerome, in such a way that the detractor, seeing
your unwillingness to listen to him, may learn to be
more guarded for the future against the sin of detraction.
" Discat detractor, dum te videt non libenter audire,
non facile detrahere." (S. Hier. ep. ad Nepot.) And
when it is in your power to do it, it will be a great act
of charity to defend the character of the persons who
have been defamed. The Divine Spouse wishes that the
words of his beloved be a veil of scarlet. " Thy lips are
as a scarlet lace." (Cant. iv. 3.) That is, as Theodoret
explains this passage, her words should be dictated by
charity (a scarlet lace), that they may cover, as much
as possible, the defects of others, at least by excusing
their intentions, when their acts cannot be excused.
" If," says St. Bernard, " you cannot excuse the act,
excuse the intention/' (Scrm. xl. in Cant.) It was a
proverb among the nuns of the convent of St. Teresa,
that, in the presence of their holy mother, their reputa
tion was secure, because they knew she would take the
part of those of whom any fault might be mentioned.
9. Charity also requires that we be meek to all, and
particularly to those who are opposed to us. When a
person is angry with you, and uses injurious language,
remember that a " mild answer breaketh wrath." (Prov.
xv. 1.) Reply to him with meekness, and you shall find
that his anger will be instantly appeased. But, if you
resent the injury, and use harsh language, you will
increase the name ; the feeling of revenge will grow
more violent, and you will expose yourself to the
danger of losing your soul by yielding to an act of
hatred, or by breaking out into expressions grievously
CHARITY TO OUR NEIGHBOUR. 225
injurious to your neighbour. Whenever you feel the
soul agitated by passion, it is better to force yourself to
remain silent, and to make no reply ; for, as St. Bernard
says, an eye clouded with anger cannot distinguish
between right and wrong. " Turbatus praD ira oculus
rectum non videt." (Lib. 2 de Consid., cap. xi.) Should
it happen that in a fit of passion you have insulted a
neighbour, charity requires that you use every means to
allay his wounded feelings, and to remove from his heart
all sentiments of rancour towards you. The best means
of making reparation for the violation of charity is to
humble yourself to the person whom you have offended.
With regard to the meekness which we should practise
towards others, I shall speak on that subject in the
thirty-fourth Sermon, or the Sermon for the fifth Sunday
after Pentecost.
10. It is also an act of charity to correct sinners.
Do not say that you are not a superior. Were you a
superior, you should be obliged by your office to correct
all those who might be under your care ; but, although
you are not placed over others, you are, as a Christian,
obliged to fulfil the duty of fraternal correction. " lie
gave to every one of them commandment concerning his
neighbour." (Eccl. xvii. 12.) Would it not be great
cruelty to see a blind man walking on the brink of a
precipice, and not admonish him of his danger, in order
to preserve him from temporal death ? It would be far
greater cruelty to neglect, for the sake of avoiding a
little trouble, to deliver a brother from eternal death.
Third Point. On the charity we ought to practise
towards our neighbour by works.
11. Some say that they love all, but will not put
themselves to any inconvenience in order to relieve the
wants of a neighbour. " My little children," says Sfc.
John, " let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in
deed and truth." (1 John iii. 18 ) The Scripture tells
us that alms deliver men from death, cleanse them from
sin, and obtain for them the divine mercy and eternal
life. " Alms delivereth from death, and the same is that
which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and
life everlasting." (Job xii. 9.) God will relieve you in
p
226 SERMON xxx.
the same manner in which, you give relief to your neigh
bour. " With what measure you shall mete, it shall be
measured to you again.'* (Matt. vii. 2.) Hence St. Chry-
sostom says, that the exercise of charity to others is the
means of acquiring great gain with God. " Alms is, of
all acts, the most lucrative." And St. Mary Magdalene
do Pazzi used to say, that she felt more happy in reliev
ing her neighbour than when she was wrapt up in
contemplation. "Because/' she would add^'whcn I
am in contemplation God assists me ; but in giving relief
to a neighbour I assist God ;" for, every act of charity
which we exercise towards our neighbour, God accepts
as if it were done to himself. But, on the other hand,
how, as St. John says, can he who does not assist a
brother in want, be said to love God ? " He that hath
the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in
need, and shall shut up his bowels from him, how doth
the charity of God abide in him ?" (1 John iii. 17.) By
alms is understood, not only the distribution of money
or other goods, but every succour that is given to a neigh
bour in order to relieve his wants.
12. If charity obliges us to assist all, it commands us
still more strictly to relieve those who are in tbe greatest
need ; such as the souls in Purgatory. St. Thomas
teaches, that charity extends not only to the living, but
also to the dead. Hence, as we ought to assist our
neighbours who are in this life, so we are bound to give
relief to those holy prisoners who are so severely tor
mented by fire, and who are incapable of ^relieving
themselves. A deceased monk of the Cistercian order
appeared to the sacristan of his monastery, and said to
him : " Brother, assist me by your prayers ; for I can do
nothing for myself." (Cron. Cist.) Let us, then, assist,
to the utmost of our power, these beloved spouses of
Jesus Christ, by recommending them every day to God,
and by sometimes getting Mass offered for their repose.
There is nothing which gives so much relief to those
holy souls as the sacrifice of the altar. They certainly
will not be ungrateful ; they will in return pray for you,
and will obtain for you still greater graces, when they
shall have entered into the kingdom of God.
13. To exercise a special charity towards the sick, is
CHARITY TO OUR NEIGHBOUR. 227
also very pleasing to God. They are afflicted by pains,
by melancholy, by the fear of death, and are sometimes
abandoned by others. Be careful to relieve them by
alms, or by little presents, and to serve them as well as
you can, at least by endeavouring to console them by
your words, and by exhortations to practise resignation
to the will of God, and to offer to him all their suffer
ings.
14. Above all, be careful to practise charity to those
who are opposed to you. Some say : I am grateful to
all who treat me with kindness ; but I cannot exercise
charity towards those who persecute me. Jesus Christ
says that even pagans know how to be grateful to those
who do them a service. " Do not also the heathens
this ?" (Matt. v. 47.) Christian charity consists in wish
ing well, and in doing good to those who hate and injure
us. " But I say to you : Love your enemies ; do good
to them that hate you ; and pray for them that persecute
and calumniate you." (Matt. v. 44.) Some seek to
injure you, but you must love them. Some have done
-evil to you, but you must return good for evil. Such the
vengeance of the saints. This is the heavenly revenge
which St. Paulinus exhorts us to inflict on our enemies.
:< To repay good for evil is heavenly revenge/' (Epis.
xvi.) St. Chrysostom teaches, that there is nothing
which assimilates us so much to God as the granting of
pardon to enemies. " Nothing makes men so like to
God as to spare enemies." (Horn, xxvii. in Gen.) Such
has been the practice of the saints. St. Catherine of
Genoa continued for a long time to relieve a woman who
had endeavoured to destroy the saint's reputation. On.
an assassin, who had made an attempt on his life, St.
Ambrose settled a sum for his support. Yenustanus,
governor of Tuscany, ordered the hands of St. Sabinus
to be cut off, because the holy bishop confessed the true
faith. The tyrant, feeling a violent pain in his eyes,
entreated the saint to assist him. The saint prayed for
him, and raised his arm, from which the blood still con
tinued to flow, blessed him, and obtained for him the
cure of his eyes and of his soul ; for the tyrant became a
convert to the faith. Father Segneri relates, that the
son of a certain lady in Bologna was murdered by aa
228 SERMON XXXI.
assassin, who by accident took refuge in her house.
(Christ. Instr., part 1, disc. 20, n. 20.) What did she
do ? She first concealed him from the ministers of jus
tice, and afterwards said to him : Since I have lost my
son, you shall henceforth be my son and my heir. Take,
for the present, this sum of money, and provide for your
safety elsewhere, for here you are not secure. It is thus
the saints resent injuries. With what face, says St.
Cyril of Jerusalem, can he that does not pardon the
affronts which he receives from his enemies, say to God :
Lord, pardon me the many insults which I have offered
to thee ? " Qua fronte dices Domino : remitte mihi
multa peccata mea, si tu pauca conserve tuo non
remiseris?" (Catech. ii.) But he that forgives his
enemies is sure of the pardon of the Lord, who says :
" Forgive, and you shall be forgiven." (Luke vi. 37.)
And when you cannot serve them in any other way,
recommend to God those who persecute and calumniate
you. " Pray for them that persecute and calumniate
you." This is the admonition of Jesus Christ, who is
able to reward those who treat their enemies in this
manner.
SERMON XXXI.— SECOND SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On holy communion.
" A certain man made a great supper."— LUKE xiv. 16.
IN the gospel of this day we read that a rich man pre
pared a great supper. He then ordered one of his
servants to invite to it all those whom he should find in
the highways, even though they were poor, blind, and
lame, and to compel those who should refuse, to come
to the supper. " Go out into the highways and hedges,
and compel them to come in, that my house may bo
filled" (v. 2o). And he added, that of all those who
had been invited and had not come, not one should
ever partake of his supper. " But I say unto you, that
none of those men that were invited shall taste of my
HOLY COMMUNION. 229
supper" (v. 24). This supper is the holy communion ;
it is a great supper, at which all the faithful are invited
to eat the sacred flesh of Jesus Christ in the most holy
sacrament of the altar. " Take ye and eat : this is my
body." (Matt. xxiv. 26.) Let us then consider to-day,
in the first point, the great love which Jesus Christ has
shown us in giving us himself in this sacrament ; and,
in the second point, how we ought to receive him in
order to draw great fruit from the holy communion.
First Point. On the great love which Jesus Christ
has shown us in giving us himself in this sacrament.
1. " Jesus, knowing that his hour was come that he
should pass out of this world to the Father, having
loved his own that were in the world, he loved them
unto the end/' (John xiii. 1.) Knowing that the hour
of his death had arrived, Jesus Christ wished, before his
departure from this world, to leave us the greatest proof
which he could give of his love, by leaving us himself
in the holy eucharist. " He loved them to the end."
That is, according to St. Chrysostom, " with an extreme
love." St. Bernardino of Sienna says that the tokens of
love which are given at death make a more lasting
impression on the mind, and are more highly esteemed.
" Quai in fine in signum amicitia) celebrantur, firmius
memoria3 imprimuntur et cariora tenentur." But, whilst
others leave a ring, or a piece of money, as a mark of
their affection, Jesus has left us himself entirely in this
sacrament of love.
2. And when did Jesus Christ institute this sacra
ment ? He instituted it, as the Apostle has remarked,
on the night before his passion . " The Lord Jesus, the
same night on which he was betrayed, took bread, and
giving thanks, broke and said : " Take ye and eat : this
is my body." (1 Cor. xi. 23, 24.) Thus, at the very
time that men were preparing to put him to death, our
loving Redeemer resolved to bestow upon us this gift.
Jesus Christ, then, was not content with giving his life
for us on a cross : he wished also, before his death, to
pour out, as the Council of Trent says, all the riches of
his love, by leaving himself for our food in the holy
communion. " He, as it were, poured out the riches of
230
SERMON XXXI.
his love towards man." (Sess. 13, cap. ii.) If faith had
not taught it, who could ever imagine that a God would
become man, and afterwards become the food of his own
creatures ? When Jesus Christ revealed to his followers
this sacrament which he intended to leave us, St. John
says, that they could not bring themselves to believe it,
and departed from him saying: " How can this man give
us his flesh to eat ?...This saying is hard, and who can
hear it?'' (St. John vi. 53, 61.) But what men could
not imagine, the £reat love of Jesus Christ has invented
and effected. " Take ye and eat : this is my body."
These words he addressed to his apostles on the night
before he suffered, and he now, after his death, addresses
them to us.
3. How highly honoured, says St. Francis de Sales,
would that man fed to whom the king sent from his
table a portion of what he had on his own plate ? But
how should he feel if that portion were a part of the
king's arm ? In the holy communion Jesus gives us,
not a part of his arm, but his entire body in the sacra
ment of the altar. " lie gave you all," says St. Chry-
sostom, reproving our ingratitude, " he left nothing for
himself/' And St. Thomas teaches, that in the cucha-
rist God has given us all that he is and all that he has.
"Deus in eucharistia totum quod est et habet, dedit
nobis." (Opusc. 63, c. ii.) Justly then has the same
saint called the eucharist " a sacrament of love ; a pledge
of love/' " Sacramentum charitatis pignus charitatis."
It is a sacrament of love, because it was pure love that
induced Jesus Christ to give us this gift and pledge of
love : for he wished that, should a doubt of his having
loved us ever enter into our minds, we should have in
this sacrament a pledge of his love. St. Bernard calls
this sacrament " love of loves." " Amor amorum." By
his incarnation, the Lord has given himself to all
men in general ; but, in this sacrament, he has given,
himself to each of us in particular, to make us under
stand the special love which he entertains for each
of us.
4. Oh! how ardently does Jesus Christ desire to
come to our souls in the holy communion ! This vehe
ment desire he expressed at the time of the institution
HOLY COMMUNION. 231
of this sacrament, when he said to the apostles : " With
desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you." (Luke
xxii. 15.) St. Laurence Justinian says that these words
proceeded from the enamoured heart of Jesus Christ,
who, by such tender expressions, wished to show us the
ardent love with which he loved us. " This is the voice
of the most burning charity. " Flagrantissimoo charitatis
est vox hcec." And, to induce us to receive him fre
quently in the holy communion, he promises eternal life
— that is, the kingdom of heaven — to those who eat his
flesh. " He that eateth this bread shall live for ever."
(John vi. 59.) On the other hand, it threatens to
deprive us of his grace and of Paradise, if we neglect
communion. " Except you eat the flesh of the Son of
Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in
you." (John vi. 54.) These promises and these threats
all sprung from a burning desire to come to us in this
sacrament.
5. And why does Jesus Christ so vehemently desire
that we receive him in the holy communion ? It is
because he takes delight in being united with each of
us. By the communion, Jesus is really united to our
soul and to our body, and we are united to Jesus. " He
that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in
me and I in him." (John vi. 57.) Thus, after com
munion, we are, says St. Chrysostom, one body and one
flesh with Jesus Christ. " Huic nos unimur, et facti
summus unum corpus ut una caro." (Horn. Ixviii. ad
Pop. Ant.) Hence St. Laurence Justinian exclaims :
" Oh ! how wonderful is thy love, O Lord Jesus, who
hast wished to incorporate us in such a manner with thy
body, that we should have one heart and one soul
inseparably united with thee." Thus, to every soul that
receives the eucharist, the Lord says what he once said
to his beloved servant Margaret of Ipres — " Behold, my
daughter, the close union made between me and thee ;
love me, then, and let us remain for ever united in love:
let us never more be separated." This union between
us and Jesus Christ is, according to St. Chrysostom, the
effect of the love which Jesus Christ bears us. " Seme-
tipsum nobis immiscuit, ut unum quid simus arden-
tur enim amantium hoc est.)? (Horn. Ixi.) But, 0 Lord,.
232
SERMON XXXI.
such intimate union with man is not suited to thy divine
majesty. But love seeks not reason ; it goes not where
it ought to go, but where it is drawn. " Amor ratione
caret, et vadit quo dicitur, non quo debeat." (Serm. cxliii.)
St. Bernardino of Sienna says that, in giving himself
for our food, Jesus Christ loved us to the last degree ;
because he united himself entirely to us, as food is united
to those who eat it. " ITltimus gradus amoris est, cum.
se dedit nobis in cibum quia dedit se nobis ad omnimodam
unionem, sicut cibus et cibans, invicem uniuntur." (Tom.
2, Serm. Hv.) The same doctrine has been beautifully
expressed by St. Francis de Sales. " No action of the
Saviour can be more loving or more tender than the
institution of the holy cucharist, in which he, as it were,
annihilates himself, and takes the form of food, to
unite himself to the souls and bodies of his faithful
servants."
G. Hence, there is nothing from which we can draw
so much fruit as from the holy communion. St. Denis
teaches, that the most holy sacrament has greater effi
cacy to sanctify souls than all other spiritual means.
" Eucharistia maxim am vim habet perficiendrc sancti-
tatis." St. Vincent Ferrer says, that a soul derives
more profit from one communion than from fasting a
week on bread and water. The eucharist is, according
to the holy Council of Trent, a medicine which delivers
us from venial, and preserves us from mortal sins.
'* Antidotum quo a culpis quotidianis liberemur, et a
rnortalibus prrcservcmur." Jesus himself has said, that
they who eat him, who is the fountain of life, shall
receive permanently the life of grace. " lie that eateth
me, the same shall also live by me." (John vi. 58.)
Innocent the Third teaches, that by the passion Jesus
Christ delivers us from the sins we have committed,
and by the eucharist from the sins we may commit.
According to St. Chrysostom, the holy communion
inflames us with the fire of divine love, and makes us
objects of terror to the devil. " The eucharist is a fire
which inflames us, that, like lions breathing fire, we may
retire from the altar, being made terrible to the devil."
(Horn. Ixi. ad Pop. Ant.) In explaining the words of
the Spouse of the Canticles, " He brought me into the
HOLY COMMUNION. 233
cellar of wine; lie set in order charity in me" (ii. 4.)
St. Gregory says, that the communion is this cellar of
wine, in which the soul is so inebriated with divine love,
that she forgets and loses sight of all earthly things.
7. Some will say : " I do not communicate often ; because
I am cold in divine love." In answer to them Gerson
asks, Will you then, because you feel cold, remove from
the fire ? When you are tepid you should more fre
quently approach this sacrament. St. Bonaventure says :
" Trusting in the mercy of God, though you feel tepid,
approach : let him who thinks himself unworthy reflect,
that the more infirm he feels himself the more he requires
a physician" (de Prof. Eel., cap. Ixxviii). And, in
" The Devout Life," chapter xx., St. Francis de Sales
writes : " Two sorts of persons ought to communicate
often : the perfect, to preserve perfection ; and the im
perfect, to arrive at perfection." It cannot be doubted,
that he who wishes to communicate should prepare
himself with great diligence, that he may communicate
well. Let us pass to the second point.
Second Point. On the preparation we ought to make
in order to derive great fruit from the holy communion.
8. Two things are necessary in order to draw great
fruit from communion — preparation for, and thanks
giving after communion. As to the preparation, it is
certain that the saints derived great profit from their
communions, only because they were careful to prepare
themselves well for receiving the holy eucharist. It is
easy then to understand why so many souls remain
subject to the same imperfections, after all their com
munions. Cardinal Bona says, that the defect is not in
the food, but in the want of preparation for it. " Defec-
tus non in bibo est, sed in edentis dispositione." For
frequent communion two principal dispositions are neces
sary. The first is detachment from creatures, and dis
engagement of the heart from everything that is not
God. The more the heart is occupied with earthly
concerns, the less room there is in it for divine love.
Hence, to give full possession of the whole heart to
God, it is necessary to purify it from worldly attach
ments. This is the preparation which Jesus himself
234 SERMON XXXI.
recommends to St. Gertrude. " I ask nothing more of
thee," said he to her, " than that thou come to receive
me with a heart divested of thyself." Let us, then,
withdraw our affections from creatures, and our hearts
shall belong entirely to the Creator.
9. The second disposition necessary to draw great
fruit from communion, is a desire of receiving Jesus
Christ in order to advance in his love. " He," says St.
Francis de Sales, " who gives himself through pure
love, ought to be received only through love." Thus,
the principal end of our communions must be to advance
in the love of Jesus Christ. He once said to St. Matilda:
*' When you communicate, desire all the love that any
soul has ever had for me, and I will accept your love
in proportion to the fervour with which you wished for
it."
10. Thanksgiving after communion is also necessary.
The prayer we make after communion is the most
acceptable to God, and the most profitable to us. After
communion the soul should be employed in affections
and petitions. The affections ought to consist not only
in acts of thanksgiving, but also in acts of humility, of
love, and of oblation of ourselves to God. Let us then
humble ourselves as much as possible at the sight of a
God made our food after we had offended him. A
learned author says that, for a soul after communion,
the most appropriate sentiment is one of astonishment
at the thought of receiving a God. She should ex
claim : " What ! a God to me ! a God to me !" Let us
also make many acts of the love of Jesus Christ. lie
has come into our souls in order to be loved. Hence,,
he is greatly pleased with those who, after communion,
say to him: "My Jesus, I love thee ; I desire nothing
but thee." Let us also offer ourselves and all that we
have to Jesus Christ, that he may dispose of all as he
pleases: and let us frequently say: " My Jesus, thou art
all mine ; thou hast given thyself entirely to me ; I give
myself entirely to thee.
11. After communion; we should not only make these
affections, but we ought also to present to God with
great confidence many petitions for his graces. The
time after communion is a time in which we can gain
MEECY OF GOD TOWARDS SINNERS. 235
treasures of divine graces. St. Teresa says, that at
that time Jesus Christ remains in the soul as on a throne,
saying to her what he said to the blind man : " What
wilt thou that I should do to thee ?" (Mark x. 51.) As
if he said: " But me you have not always." (John xii.
8.) Now that you possess me within you, ask me for
graces : I have come down from heaven on purpose to
dispense them to you ; ask whatever you wish, and you
shall obtain it. Oh ! what great graces are lost by those
who spend but little time in prayer after communion.
Let us also turn to the Eternal Father, and, bearing in
mind the promise of Jesus Christ — " Amen, amen, I say
to you, if you ask the Father anything in my name, he
will give it you" (John xvi. 23) — let us say to him :
My God, for the love of this thy Son, whom I have
within my heart, give me thy love ; make me all thine.
And if we offer this prayer with confidence, the Lord
will certainly hear us. He who acts thus may become
a saint by a single communion.
SERMON XXXII.— THIRD SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the mercy of God towards sinners.
" There shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance,
more than ninety -nine just, who need not penance." — LUKE xv. 7-
In this day's gospel it is related that the Pharisees
murmured against Jesus Christ, because he received
sinners and eat with them. " This man receiveth sin
ners and eateth with them" (v. 2). In answer to their
murmurings our Lord said : If any of you had a hun
dred sheep, and lost one of them, would he not leave
the ninety-nine in the desert, and go in search of the
lost sheep ? would he not continue his search until he
found it ? and having found it, would he not carry it
on his shoulders, and, rejoicing, say to his friends and
neighbours : " Rejoice with me, because I have found
my sheep that was lost ?" (v. 6.) In conclusion, the
Son of God said : " I say to you, there shall be joy in
236 SERMON XXXII.
heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than,
upon ninety-nine just, that need not penance." There
is more joy in heaven upon one sinner who returns to
God, than upon many just who preserve the grace of
God. Let us, then, speak to-day on the mercy which
God shows to sinners, first, in calling them to repent
ance ; secondly, in receiving them when they return.
First Point, Mercy of God in calling sinners to
repentance.
1. After having sinned hy eating the forbidden apple,
Adam fled from the face of the Lord through shame of
the sin he had committed. What must have been the
astonishment of the angels when they saw God seeking
after him, and calling him as it were with tears, saying :
" Adam, where art thou ?" (Gen. iii. 9.) My beloved
Adam, where art thou? These words, says Father
Pereyra, in his commentary on this passage, " are the
words of a father in search of his lost sou." Towards
you, brethren, the Lord acts in a similar manner. You
fled from him and he has so often invited you to repent
ance by means of confessors and preachers. Who was
it that spoke to you when they exhorted you to penance ?
It was the Lord. Preachers are, as St. Paul says, his
ambassadors. " For Christ, therefore, we are ambassa
dors ; God, as it were, exhorting by us." (2 Cor. v. 20.)
Hence he writes to the sinners of Corinth : " For Christ,
we beseech you, be reconciled to God." (Ibid.) In
explaining these words St. Chrysostom says : " Ipse
Chris tus vos obsecrat : quid autem obsecrat ? Recon-
ciliamini Deo." Then, says the holy doctor, Jesus
Christ himself entreats you, 0 sinners : and what does
he entreat you to do ? To make peace with God. The
saint adds : " Non enim ipse inimicus gerit, sed vos."
It is not God that acts like an enemy, but you ; that is,
God does not refuse to make peace with sinners, but
they are unwilling to be reconciled with him."
'I. But notwithstanding the refusal of sinners to
return to God, he does not cease to continue to call
them by so many interior inspirations, remorses of con
science, and terrors of chastisements. Thus, beloved
Christians, God has spoken to you, and, seeing that you
I
MERCY OF GOD TOWARDS SINNERS. 237
disregarded his words, he has had recourse to scourges ;
he has called you to repentance by such a persecution,
by temporal losses, by the death of a relative, by sick
ness which has brought you to the brink of the grave.
He has, according to holy David, placed before your eyes
the bow of your damnation, not that you might be con
demned to eternal misery, but that you might be deli
vered from hell, which you deserved. " Thou hast given
a warning to them that fear thee, that they may flee
from before the bow, that thy beloved may be delivered."
(Ps. lix. 6). You regarded certain afflictions as misfor
tunes ; but they were mercies from God ; they were the
voices of God calling on you to renounce sin, that you
might escape perdition. " My jaws are become hoarse."
(Ps. Ixviii. 4.) My son, says the Lord, I have almost
lost my voice in calling you to repentance. " I am
weary of entreating thee." ( Jer. xv. (5.) I have become
weary in imploring you to offend me no more.
3. By your ingratitude you deserved that he should
call you no more ; but he has continued to invite you
to return to him. And who is it that has called you ?
It is a God of infinite majesty, who is to be one day your
•jud^e, and on whom your eternal happiness or misery
depends. And what are you but miserable worms de
serving hell ? Why has he called you ? To restore to
you the life of grace which you have lost. " Return ye
and live." (Ezec. xviii. 32.) To acquire the grace of
God, it would be but little to spend a hundred years in
a desert in fasting and penitential austerities. But God
offered it to you for a single act of sorrow ; you refused
that act, and after your refusal he has not abandoned
you, but has sought after you, saying : "^And why will
you die, 0 house of Israel?" (Ez. xviii. 31.) Like a
father weeping and following his son, who has voluntarily
thrown himself into the sea, God has sought after you,
saying, through compassion to each of you : My son, why
dost thou bring thyself to eternal misery ? " Why will
you die, 0 house of Israel ?"
4. As a pigeon that seeks to take shelter in a tower,
seeing the entrance closed on every side, continues to
fly round till she finds an opening through which she
enters, so, says St. Augustine, did the divine mercy act
238 SERMON XXXIT.
towards me when I was in enmity with God. Cir-
cuibat super me fidelis a longe misericordia tua." The
Lord treated you, brethren, in a similar manner. As
often as you sinned you banished him from your souls.
The wicked have said to God : " Depart from us."
(Job xxi. 14.) And, instead of abandoning you, what
has the Lord done ? He has placed himself at the door
of your ungrateful hearts, and, by his knocking, has
made you feel that he was outside, and seeking for ad
mission. " Behold I stand at the gate and knock."
(Apoc. iii. 20.) lie, as it were, entreated you to have
compassion on him, and to allow him to enter. " Open
to me, my sister." (Cant. v. 2.) Open to me ; I will de
liver you from perdition ; I will forget all the insults
you have offered to me if you give up sin. Perhaps
you are unwilling to open to me through fear of becom
ing poor by restoring ill-gotten goods, or by separating
from a person who provided for you ? Am not I, says
the Lord, able to provide for you ? Perhaps you think
that, if you renounce a certain friendship which sepa
rates you from me, you shall lead a life of misery ?
Am I not able to content your soul and to make your
life happy ? Ask those who love me with their whole
hearts, and they will tell you that my grace makes them
content, and that they would not exchange their condi
tion, though poor and humble, for all the delights and
riches of the monarchs of the earth.
Second Point. Mercy of God in waiting for sinners to
return to him.
5. We have considered the divine mercy in calling
sinners to repentance : let us now consider his patience
in waiting for their return. That great servant of God,
D. Sancia Carillo, a penitent of Father John Avila,
used to say, that the consideration of God's patience
with sinners made her desire to build a church, and
entitle it " The Patience of God." Ah, sinners ! who
could ever bear with what God has borne from you ? If
the offences which you have committed against God had
been offered to your best friends, or even to your parents,
they surely would have sought revenge. When
you insulted the Lord he was able to chastise you ;
MERCY OF GOD TOWARDS SINNERS. 239
you repeated the insult, and he did not punish your
guilt, but preserved your life, and provided you with
sustenance. lie, as it were, pretended not to see the
injuries you offered to him, that you might enter into
yourselves, and cease to offend him. " Thou over-
lookest the sins of men for the sake of repentance."
(Wis. xi. 24.) But how, 0 Lord, does it happen, that
thou canst not behold a single sin, and that thou dost
bear in silence with so many ? " Thy eyes are too pure to
behold evil, and thou canst not look on iniquity. Why
lookest thou upon them that do unjust things, and
boldest thy peace ?" (Hab. i. 13.) Thou seest the vin
dictive prefer their own before thy honour ; thou
beholdest the unjust, instead of restoring what they
have stolen, continuing to commit theft; the unchaste,
instead of being ashamed of their impurities, boasting
of them before others ; the scandalous, not content with
the sins which they themselves commit, but seeking
to draw others into rebellion against thee ; thou seest
all this, and holdest thy peace, and dost not inflict ven
geance.
6. " Omnis creatura," says St. Thomas, "tibi factor!
deserviens excandescit adversus injustos." All creatures
— the earth, fire, air, water — because they all obey God,
would, by a natural instinct, wish to punish the sin
ner, and to avenge the injuries which he does to the
Creator ; but God, through his mercy, restrains them.
But, 0 Lord, thou waitest for the wicked that they
may enter into themselves ; and dost thou not see that
they abuse thy mercy to offer new insults to thy
majesty ? " Thou hast been favourable to the nation,
O Lord, thou hast been favourable to the nation : art
thou glorified ?" (Tsa. xxvi. 15.) Thou hast waited so
long for sinners ; thou hast abstained from inflicting
punishment ; but what glory have you reaped from thy
forbearance ? They have become more wicked. Why so
much patience with such ungrateful souls ? Why dost
thou continue to wait for their repentance ? Why dost
thou not chastise their wickedness ? The same Prophet
answers : " The Lord waiteth that he may have mercy
on you." (Isa. xxx. 18.) God waits for sinners that
they may one day repent, and that after their repent-
240 SERMON XXXII.
ance, he may pardon and save them. "As I live, saith
the Lord, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that
the wicked turn from his way and live." (Ezech. xxxiii.
11.) St. Augustine goes so far as to say that the Lord,
if he were not God, should he unjust on account of his
excessive patience towards sinners. " Deus, Deus incus,
pace tua dicam, nisi quia Deus esses, injustus esses."
By waiting for those who abuse his patience to multiply
their sins, God appears to do an injustice to the divine
honour. " We," continues the saint, "sin; we adhere
to sin (some of us become familiar and intimate with
sin, and sleep for months and years in this miserable
state) ; we rejoice at sin (some of us go so far as to boast
of our wickedness) ; and thou art appeased ! "Wo pro
voke thce to anger — thou dost invite us to mercy." We
and God appear to be, as it were, engaged in a contest,
in which we labour to provoke him to chastise our guilt,
and he invites us to pardon.
7. Lord, exclaimed holy Job, what is man, that thou
dost entertain so great an esteem for him ? Why dost
thou love him so tenderly ? " What is man that thou
shouldst magnify him ? or why dost thou >et thy heart
upon him ?" (Job. vii. ] 7.) St. Denis the Areopagite says,
that God seeks after sinners like a despised lover, en
treating them not to destroy themselves. " Deus etiani
a so aversos amatorie scquitur, et deprecatur ne pereant."
Why, 0 ungrateful souls, do you fly from me ? I love
you and desire nothing but your welfare. Ah, sinners !
says St. Teresa, remember that he who now calls and
seeks after you, is that God who shall one day be your
judge. If you are lost, the great mercies which he
now shows you, shall be the greatest torments which,
you shall suffer in hell.
Third Point. Mercy of God in receiving penitent
sinners.
8. Should a subject who has rebelled against an
earthly monarch go into the presence of his sovereign
to ask pardon, the prince instantly banishes the rebel
from his sight, and does not condescend even to look at
him. But God does not treat us in this manner, when
we go with humility before him to implore mercy and
MERCY OF GOD TOWARDS SINNERS. 241
forgiveness. "The Lord your God is merciful, and
will not turn away his face from you if you return to
him." (2 Par. xxx. 9.) God cannot turn away his face
from those who cast themselves at his feet with an
humble and contrite heart. Jesus himself has protested
that he will not reject any one who returns to him.
" And him that cometh to me, I will not cast out."
(John vi. h7.) But how can he reject those whom he
himself invites to return, and promises to embrace ?
" Return to me, saith the Lord, and I will receive thee."
(Jer. iii. 1.) In another place he says: Sinners, I ought
to turn my back on you, because you first turned your
back on me ; but be converted to me, and I will be con
verted to you. " Turn to me, saith the Lord of hosts,
and I will turn to you, saith the Lord of hosts."
(Zach. i. 3.)
^ 9. Oh ! with what tenderness does God embrace a
sinner that returns to him ! This tenderness Jesus
Christ wished to declare to us when he said that he is
the good pastor, who, as soon as he finds the lost sheep,
embraces it and places it on his own shoulders. " And
when he hath found it, doth he not lay it upon his
shoulders rejoicing?" (Luke xv. 5.) This tenderness
also appears in the parable of the prodigal son, in which
Jesus Christ tells us that he is the good father, who,
when his lost son returns, goes to meet him, embraces
and ^ kisses him, and, as it were, swoons away through
joy in receiving him. " And running to him, he fell
upon his neck and kissed him." (Luke xv. 20.)
10. God protests that when sinners repent of their
iniquities, he will forget all their sins, as if they had
never offended him. "But, if the wicked do penance
for all the sins which he hath committed. .. .living, he
shall live, and shall not die. I will not remember all
his iniquities that he hath done." (Ezech. xviii. 21,22.)
By the Prophet Isaias, the Lord goes so far as to say :
" Come and accuse me, saith the Lord. If your sins be
as scarlet, they shall be made white as snow." (Isa. i.
18.) Mark the words, Come and accuse me. As if the
Lord said : Sinners, come to me, and if I do not pardon
and embrace you, reprove me, upbraid me with violating
my promise. But no ! God cannot despise an humble
Q
242 SERMON XXXII.
and contrite heart. " A contrite and humble heart, O
God, thou wilt not despise." (Fs. 1. 19.)
11. To show mercy and grant pardon to sinners, God
regards as redounding to his own glory. " And there
fore shall he be exalted sparing you." (Isa. xxx. 18.)
The holy Church says, that God displays his omnipo
tence in granting pardon and mercy to sinners. " O
God, who manifested thy omnipotence in sparing and
showing mercy." Do not imagine, dearly beloved sin
ners, that God requires of you to labour for a long time
before he grants you pardon : as soon as you wish for
forgiveness, he is ready to give it. Behold what the
Scripture says : " Weeping, thou shalt uot weep, he will
surely have pity on thee." (Isa. xxx. 19.) You shall
not have to weep for a long time : as soon as you shall
have shed the tirst tear through sorrow for your sins,
God will have mercy on you. " At the voice of thy cry,
as soon as he shall hear, he will answer thee." (Ibid.)
The moment he shall hear you say : Forgive me, 0 my
God, forgive me, he will instantly answer and grant
your pardon.
SEE3IOX XXXIII.— FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
Death is certain and uncertain.
'Let down your nets for a draught." — LUKE v. 4.
IN this day's gospel we find that, having gone up into
one of the ships, and having heard from St. Peter, that
he and his companions had laboured all the night and
bad taken nothing, Jesus Christ said: " Launch out into
the deep, and let down your nets for a draught." They
obeyed ; and having cast out their nets into the sea, they
took such a multitude of fishes, that the nets were nearly
broken. Brethren, God has placed us in the midst of
the sea of this life, and has commanded us to cast out
our nets, that we may catch fishes ; that is, that we may
perform good works, by which we can acquire merits
for eternal life. Happy wo, if we attain this end and
DEATH IS CERTAIN AND UNCERTAIN. 243
save our souls ! Unhappy we, if, instead of laying up
treasures for heaven, we by our sins merit hell, and
bring our souls to damnation ! Our happiness or misery
for eternity depends on the moment of our death, which
is certain and uncertain. The Lord assures us that death
is certain, that we may prepare for it ; but, on the other
hand, he leaves us uncertain as to the time of our death,
that we may be always prepared for it — two points of
the utmost importance.
First Point. It is certain that we shall die.
Second Point. It is uncertain when we shall die.
First Point. It is certain that we shall die.
^1. " It is appointed unto men once to die." (Heb. ix.
27.) ^ The decree has been passed for each of us : wo must
all die. St. Cyprian says, that we are all born with the
halter on the neck : hence, every step we make brings
us nearer to _ the gibbet. For each of us the gibbet shall
be the last sickness, which will end in death. As then,
brethren, your^name has been inserted in the registry
of baptism, so it shall be one day written in the record
of the dead. As, in speaking of your ancestors, you
say : God be merciful to my father, to my uncle, or to
my brother ; so others shall say the same of you when
you shall be in the other world ; and as you have often
heard the death-bell toll for many, so others shall hear
it toll for you.
2. All things future, which regard men now living,
are uncertain, but death is certain. " All other goods
and evils," says St. Augustine, " are uncertain ; death
only is certain." It is uncertain whether such an infant
shall be rich or poor, whether he shall enjoy good or
ill health, whether he shall die at an early or at an ad
vanced age. But it is certain that he shall die, though
he be son of a peer or of a monarch. And, when the
hour arrives, no one can resist the stroke of death.
The same St. Augustine says : " Fires, waters, and the
sword are resisted; kings are resisted: death comes;
who resists it ?" (in Ps. xii.) We may resist conflagra
tions, inundations, the sword of enemies, and the power
of princes ; but who can resist death ? A certain king
244 SETIMON xxxin.
of France, as Belluacensis relates, said in his last mo
ments : " Behold, with all my power, I cannot make
death wait for a single hour." No ; when the term of
life has arrived, death does not wait even a moment —
" Thou hast appointed his bounds, which cannot be
passed." (Job. xiv. 5.)
3. We must all die. This truth we not only believe,
but see with our eyes. In every age houses, streets,
and cities are filled with new inhabitants : their former
possessors are shut up in the grave. And, as for them
the days of life are over, so a time shall come when not
one ot all who are now alive shall be among the living.
"Days shall be formed, and no one in them." (Ps.
cxxxviii. 10.) "Who is the man that shall live, and
shall not see death ?" (Ps. Ixxxviii. 49 ) Should any
one flatter himself that he will not die, he would not
only be a disbeliever — for it is of faith that we shall all
die — but he would be regarded as a madman. We know
that all men, even potentates and princes and emperors,
have, utter a certain time, fallen victims to death. And
where are they now ? " Tell me," says St. Bernard,
"where are the lovers of the world? Nothing has
remained of them but ashes and worms." Of so many
great men of the world, though buried in marble mau
soleums, nothing has remained but a little dust and a
few withered bones. We know that our ancestors are
no longer among the living : of their death we are con
stantly reminded by their pictures, their memorandum
books, their beds, and by the clothes which they have
left us. And can we entertain a hope or a doubt that
we shall not die ? Of all who lived in this town a hun
dred years ago how many are now alive ? They are
all in eternity — in an eternal day of delights, or in an
eternal night of torments. Either the one or the other
shall be our lot also.
4. But, 0 God! we all know that we shall die: the
misfortune is, that we imagine death as distant as if it
were never to come, and therefore we lose sight of it.
But, sooner or later, whether we think or think not of
death, it is certain, and of faith that we shall die, and
that we are drawing nearer to it every day. " For we
have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to
DEATH IS CERTAIN AND UNCERTAIN. 245
come." (Heb. xiii. 14.) This is not our country : here
we are pilgrims on a journey. " While we are in the
body we^are absent from the Lord." (2 Cor. v. 6.) Our
country is Paradise, if we know how to acquire it by the
grace of God and by our own good works. Our house
is not that in which we live ; we dwell in it only in
passing ; our dwelling is in eternity. u Man shall go
into the house of his eternity." (Eccl. xii. 5.) How-
great would be the folly of the man, who, in passing
through a strange country, should lay out all his property
in the purchase of houses and possessions in a foreign
land, and reduce himself to the necessity of living miser
ably for the remainder of his days in his own country !
And is not he, too, a fool, who seeks after happiness in
this world, from which he must soon depart ; and, by his
sins, exposes himself to the danger of misery in the next,
where he must live for eternity ?
5. Tell me, beloved brethren, if, instead of preparing
for his approaching death, a person condemned to dio
were, on his way to the place of execution, to employ
the few remaining moments of his life in admiring the
beauty of the houses as he passed along, in thinking of
balls and comedies, in uttering immodest words, and
detracting his neighbours, would you not say that the
unhappy man had either lost his reason, or that he was
abandoned by God ? And are not you on the way to
death ? Why then do you seek only the gratification
of the senses ? Why do you not think of preparing the
accounts which you shall one day, and perhaps very
soon, have to render at the tribunal of Jesus Christ ?
Souls that have faith, leave to the fools of this world the
care of realizing a fortune on this earth ; seek you to
make a fortune for the next life, which shall be eternal.
The present life must end, and end very soon.
6. Go to the grave in which your relatives and friends
are buried. Look at their dead bodies : each of them
says to you : " Yesterday for me ; to-day for thee."
(Eccl. xxxviii. 23.) What has happened to me must
one day happen to thee. Thou shalt .become dust and
ashes, as I am. And where shall thy soul be found, if,
before death, thou hast not settled thy accounts with
God ? Ah, brethren ! if you wish to live well, and to
24G
SKUMOX XXX III.
to have you accounts ready for that great day, on which
your doom to eternal life or to eternal death must be
decided, endeavour, during the remaining days of life,
to live with death before your eyes. " 0 death, thy
sentence is welcome." (Eccl. xli. 3.) Oh ! how correct
are the judgments, how well directed the actions, of those
who form their judgments, and perform their actions,
with death before their view ! The remembrance of
death destroys all attachment to the goods of this earth.
" Let the end of life be considered/' says St. Lawrence
Justinian, " and there will be nothing 'in this world to
be loved." (de Ligno Vitac, cap. v.) Yes ; all the riches,
honours, and pleasures of this world are easily despised
by him who considers that he must soon leave them for
ever, and that he shall be thrown into the grave to be
the food of worms.
7. {Some banish the thought of death, as if, by avoid
ing to think of death, they could escape it. But death
cannot be avoided ; and they who banish the thought of
it, expose themselves to great danger of an unhappy
death. By keeping death before their eyes, the saints
have despised all the goods of this earth. Hence St.
Charles Borromeo kept on his table a death's head, that
he might have it continually in view. Cardinal Baronius
had the words, Memento mori — " Remember death" —
inscribed on his ring. The venerable P. Juvenal Anzia,
Bishop of Salu/zo, had before him a skull, on which
was written, "As I am, so thou shalt be." In retiring
to deserts and caves the holy solitaries brought with
them the head of a dead man ; and for what purpose ?
To prepare themselves for death. Thus a certain hermit
being asked at death, why he was so cheerful, answered:
I have kept death always before my eyes ; and therefore,
now that it has arrived, I feel no terror. But, oh ! how
full of terror is death, when it comes to those who have
thought of it but seldom.
Second Point. It is uncertain when we shall die.
8. " Nothing," says the Idiota, " is more certain than
death, but nothing is more uncertain than the hour of
death." It is certain that we shall die. God has
already determined the year, the month, the day, the
DEATH IS CERTAIN AND UNCERTAIN. 247
Lour, the moment, in which each of us shall leave this
earth, and enter into eternity ; but this moment he has
resolved not to make known to us. And justly, says St.
Augustine, has the Lord concealed it ; for, had he mani
fested to all the day fixed for their death, many should
le induced to continue in the habit of sin by the certainty
of not dying before the appointed day. " Si statuisset
viam omnibus, faceret abundare peccata de securitate "
(in Ps. cxliv). Hence the holy doctor teaches that God
ias concealed from us the day of our death, that we
may spend all our days well. " Latet ultimus dies, ut
observentur omnes dies/' (Horn. xii. inter 50.) Hence
Jesus Christ says: 'Be you also ready; for at what
hour you think not the Son of Man will come." (Luke
xii. 40.) That we may be always prepared to die, he
wishes us to be persuaded that death will come when we
least expect it. " Of death," says St. Gregory, " we are
uncertain, that we may be found always prepared for
death." St. Paul likewise admonishes us that the day
of the Lord — that is, the day on which the Lord shall
judge us — shall come unexpectedly, like a thief in the
night, " The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief
in the night." (1 Thess. v. 2.) Since, then, says St.
Bernard, death may assail you and take away your life
in every place and at every time, you should, if you
wish to die well and to save your soul, be at all times
and places in expectation of death : " Mors ubique te
expectat tu ubique earn expectabis :" and St. Augustine
says : " Latet ultimus dies, ut observentur omnes dies/'
(Horn, xii.) The Lord conceals from us the last day of
our life, that we may always have ready the account
which we must render to God after death.
9. Many Christians are lost, because many, even
among the old, who feel the approach of death, flatter
themselves that it is at a distance, and that it will not
come without giving them time to prepare for it. " Dura
mente," says St. Gregory, " abesse longe mors creditur
etiam cum sentitur." (Moral, lib. 8.) Death, even when
it is felt, is believed to be far off. O brethren, are these
your sentiments ? How do you know that your death
is near or distant ? What reason have you to suppose
that death will give you time to prepare for it ? How
248 SERMOX XXXIII.
many do we know who have died suddenly ? Some have
died walking; some sitting; and some during sleep.
Did any one of these ever imagine that he should die in
such a manner? But they have died in this way; and
if they were in enmity with God, what has been the lot
of their unhappy souls ? Miserable the man who meets
•with an unprovided death ! And I assert, that all who
ordinarily neglect to unburthen their conscience, die
without preparation, even though they should have
seven or eight days to prepare for a good death ; for as
I shall show in the forty-fourth sermon, it is very difficult,
during these days of confusion and terror, to settle ac
counts with God, and to return to him with sincerity.
But I repeat that death may come upon you in such a
manner, that you shall not have time even to receive
the sacraments. And who knows whether, in another
hour, you shall be among the living or the dead ? The
uncertainty of the time of his death made Job tremble.
"For I knew not how long I shall continue, or whether,
after a while, my Maker may take me away." (Job xxxii.
22.) Hence St. Basil exhorts us in going to bed at
night, not to trust that we shall see the next day. " Cum
in lectulum ad quicsccndum membra tua posueris, noli
confidere de lucis adventu." (Inst. ad fil. spirit.)
10. Whenever, then, the devil tempts you to sin, by
holding out the hope that you will go to confession and
repair the evil you have done, say to him in answer :
How do I know that this shall not be the last day of my
life ? And should death overtake me in sin, and not
give ine time to make ray confession, what shall become
of me for all eternity ? Alas ! how many poor sinners
have been struck dead in the very act of indulging in
some sinl'ul pleasure, and have been sent to hell ! " As
fishes are taken by the hook, and as birds are caught
with the snare, so men are taken in the evil time."'
(Eccl. ix. 12.) Fishes are taken with the hook while
they eat the bait that conceals the hook, which is the
instrument of their death. The evil time is precisely
that in which sinners are actually offending God. In
the act of sin, they calm their conscience by a security
of afterwards making a good confession, and reversing
the sentence of their damnation. But death comes
DEATH IS CERTAIN AND UNCERTAIN. 249
suddenly upon them, and does not leave them time for
repentance. "For, when they shall say peace and
security, then shall sudden destruction come upon them."
(1 Thess. v. 3.)
11. If a person lend a sum of money he is careful
instantly to get a written acknowledgment, and to take
all the other means necessary to secure the repayment
of it. Who, he says, can know what shall happen?
Death may come, and I may lose my money. And how
does it happen that there are so many who neglect to
use the same caution for the salvation of their souls,
which is of far greater importance than all temporal
interests ? "Why do they not also say : Who knows
what may happen ? death may come, and I may lose my
soul ? If you lose a sum of money, all is not lost ; if
you lose it one way you may recover the loss in another ;
but he that dies and loses his soul, loses all, and has no
hope of ever recovering it. If we could die twice, we
might, if we lost our soul the first time, save it the
second. But we cannot die twice. " It is appointed
unto men once to die," (Heb. ix. '27-) Mark the word
once : death happens to each of us but once : he who has
erred the first time has erred for ever. Hence, to bring
the soul to hell is an irreparable error. " Periisse setnel
seternum est."
12. The venerable Father John Avila was a man of
great sanctity, and apostle of Spain. What was the
answer of this great servant of God, who had led a holy
life from his childhood, when he was told that his death
was at hand, and that he had but a short time to live ?
" Oh !" replied the holy man with trembling, " that I
had a little more time to prepare for death ! " St. Agatho,
abbot, after spending so many years in penance, trembled
at the hour of death, and said : " What shall become of
me ? who can know the judgments of God ?" And, O
brethren, what will you say when the approach of death
shall be announced to you, and when, from the priest
who attends you, you shall hear these words: " Go forth,
Christian soul, from this world ?" You will, perhaps,
say : Wait a little ; allow me to prepare better. No ;
depart immediately ; death does not wait. You should
therefore prepare yourselves now. " With fear and
250 SERMON XXXIV.
trembling work out your salvation." (Phil. ii. 12.) St.
Paul admonishes us that, if we wish to save our souls,
we must live in fear and trembling, lest death ma)' find
us in sin. Be attentive, brethren : there is question of
eternity. " If a tree fall to the south or to the north,
in what place soever it shall fall there shall it be."
(Eccl. xi. 3.) If, when the tree of your life is cut down,
you fall to the south — that is, if you obtain eternal life
— how great shall be your joy at being able to say : I
shall be saved ; I have secured all ; I can never lose
God ; I shall be happy for ever. But, if you fall to the
north — that is, into eternal damnation — how great shall
be your despair ! Alas ! you shall say, I have erred,
and my error is irremediable ! Arise, then, from your
tepidity, and, after this sermon, make a resolution to
give yourselves sincerely to God. This resolution will
insure you a good death, and will make you happy for
eternity.
SERMON XXXIV.— FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the sin of anger.
" Whosoever is angiy with his brother shall be in danger of the
judgment." — MATT. v. ±2.
ANGER resembles fire ; hence, as fire is vehement in its
action, and, by the smoke which it produces, obstructs
the view, so anger makes men rush into a thousand ex
cesses, and prevents them from seeing the sinfulness of
their conduct, and thus exposes them to the danger of
the judgment of eternal death. " "Whosoever is angry
with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment."
Anger is so pernicious to man that it even disfigures
his countenance. No matter how comely and gentle
he may be, he shall, as often as he yields to the passion
of anger, appear to be a monster and a wild beast full of
terror. " Iracundus," says St. Basil, " humanam quasi
liguram amittit, ferae specimen indutus." Horn, xxi.)
But, if anger disfigures us before men, how much more
SIN OF ANGER. "251
deformed will it render us in the eyes of God ! In this
discourse I will show, in the first point, the destruction
which anger unrestrained brings on the soul ; and, in the
second, how we ought to restrain anger in all occasions
of provocation which may occur to us.
First Point. — The ruin which anger unrestrained
brings on the soul.
L. St. Jerome says that anger is the door by which
all vices enter the soul. " Omnium vitiorum jantia est
iracundia." (Inc. xxix. Prov.) Anger precipitates men
into resentments, blasphemies, acts of injustice, detrac
tions, scandals, and other iniquities ; for the passion of
anger darkens the understanding, and makes a man act
like a beast and a madman. " Caligavit ab indigna-
tione oculus meus." (Job xvii. 7.) My eye has lost its
sight through indignation. David said : " My eye is
troubled with wrath." (Ps. xxx. 10.) Hence, according
to St. Bonaventure, an angry man is incapable of dis
tinguishing between what is just and unjust. " Iratus
non potest videre quod justum est vel injustum." In a
word, St. Jerome says that anger deprives a man of
prudence, reason, and understanding. " Ab omni con-
cilio deturpat, ut donee irascitur, insanire credatur."
Hence St. James says : " The anger of man worketh
not the justice of God." (St. James i. 20.) The acts of
u man under the influence of anger cannot be conform
able to the divine justice, and consequently cannot be
faultless.
2. A man who does not restrain the impulse of anger,
easily falls into hatred towards the person who has been
the occasion of his passion. According to St. Augus
tine, hatred is nothing else than persevering anger.
*' Odium est ira diuturno tempore perseverans." Hence
• St. Thomas says that " anger is sudden, but hatred is
lasting.'' Opusc. v.) It appears, then, that in him in
whom anger perseveres hatred also reigns. But some
will say : I am the head of the house ; I must correct
my children and servants, and, when necessary, I must
raise my voice against the disorders which I witness.
I say in answer : It is one thing to be angry against a
^brother, and another to be displeased at the sin of a
252 SERMON XXXIV.
brother. To be angry against sin is not anger, but
zeal ; and therefore it is not only lawful, but is some
times a duty. But our anger must be accompanied
with prudence, and must appear to be directed against
sin, but not against the sinner ; for, if the person whom
we correct perceive that we speak through passion and
hatred towards him, the correction will be unprofitable
and even mischievous. To be angry, then, against a
brother's sin is certainly lawful. " He," says St.
Augustine, " is not angry with a brother who is angry
against a brother's sin." It is thus, as David said, we
may be angry without sin. " Be ye angry, and sin
not." (Ps. iv. 5.) But, to be angry against a brother on
account of the sin which he has committed is not lawful ;
because, according to St. Augustine, we are not allowed
to hate others for their vices. " Nee propter vitia (licet)
homines odisse" (in Ps. xcviii).
3. Hatred brings with it a desire of revenge ; for,
according to St. Thomas, anger, when fully voluntary,
is accompanied with a desire of revenge. " Ira est appe-
titus vindicteo." But you will perhaps say : If I resent
such an injury, God will have pity on me, because I
have just grounds of resentment Who, I ask, has told
you that you have just grounds for seeking revenge ?
It is you, whose understanding is clouded by passions,
that say ?o. I have already said that anger obscures
the mind, and takes away our reason and under
standing. As long as the passion of auger lasts, you
will consider your neighbour's conduct very unjust and
intolerable ; but, when your anger shall have passed
away, you shall see that his act was not so bad as it
appeared to you. But, though the injury be grievous,
or even more grievous, God will not have compassion,
on you if you seek revenge. No, he says : vengeance
for sins belongs not to you, but to me ; and when the
time shall come I will chastise them as they deserve.
" Revenge is mine, and I will repay them in due time."
(Deut. xxxii. 35.) If you resent an injury done to you
by a neighbour, God will justly inflict vengeance oa
you for all the injuries you have offered to him, and
particularly for taking revenge on a brother whom he-
commands you to pardon. " He that secketh to revenge
SIN OF ANGER. 253
himself, shall find vengeance from the Lord .... Man to
man reserveth anger, and doth he seek remedy of God ?
.... He that is but flesh nourisheth anger ; and doth he
ask forgiveness of God ? Who shall obtain pardon for
his sins ?" (Eccl. xxviii. 1, 3, 5.) Man, a worm of flesh,
reserves anger, and takes revenge on a brother : does he
afterwards dare to ask mercy of God ? And who, adds
the sacred writer, can obtain pardon for the iniquities of
so daring a sinner ? tf Qua ironte," says St. Augustine,
" indulgentiam peccatorem obtinere poterit, qui prse-
cipienti dare veniam non acquiescit." How can he who
will not obey the command of God to pardon his neigh
bour, expect to obtain from God the forgiveness of his
own sins ?
4, Let us implore the Lord to preserve us from yield
ing to any strong passion, and particularly to anger.
" Give me not over to a shameful and foolish mind."
(Eccl. xxiii. 6.) For, he that submits to such a passion
is exposed to great danger of falling into a grievous sin
against God or his neighbour. How many, in conse
quence of not restraining anger, break out into horrible
blasphemies against God or his saints ! But, at the very
time we are in a flame of indignation, God is armed with
scourges. The Lord said one day to the Prophet Jeremias :
" What seest thou, Jeremias ? And I said : I sec a rod
watching/' (Jer. i. 11.) Lord, I behold a rod watching
to inflict punishment. " The Lord asked him again :
" What seest thou ? And I said : I see a boiling
caldron." (Ibid., v. 13.). The boiling chaldron is the
figure of a man inflamed with wrath, and threatened
with a rod, that is, with the vengeance of God. Behold,
then, the ruin which anger unrestrained brings on man.
It deprives him, first, of the grace of God, and afterwards
of corporal life. " Envy and anger shortens a man's
days." (Eccl. xxx. 26.) Job says : " Anger indeed
killeth the foolish." (Job v. 2.) All the days of their
life, persons addicted to anger are unbappy, because they
are always in a tempest. But let us pass to the second
point, in which I have to say many things which will
assist you to overcome this vice.
Second Point. — How we ought to restrain anger in
the occasions of provocation which occur to us.
254 SERMOX xxxiv.
5. In the first place it is necessary to know that it is
not possible for human weakness, in the midst of so many
occasions,^ to be altogether free from every motion of
anger. ^ jN"o one, as Seneca says, can be entirely exempt
from this passion. ^ " Iracundia nullum genus hominum
excipit" (I. 3, c. xii). All our efforts must be directed
to the moderation of the feelings of anger which spring
up in the soul. How are they to be moderated ? By
meekness. This is called the virtue of the lamb— that
is, the beloved virtue of Jesus Christ. Because, like a
lamb, without anger or even complaint, he bore the
sorrows of his passion and crucifixion. " He shall be led
as a sheep to the slaughter, and dumb as a lamb before
his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth." (Isa. liii.
7.) Hence he has taught us to learn of him meekness
and humility of heart. " Learn of me, because I am
meek and humble of heart." (Matt. xi. 2<J.)
6. Oh ! how pleasing in the sight of God are the meek,
who submit in peace to all crosses, misfortunes, persecu
tions, and injuries ! To the meek is promised the king
dom of heaven. " Blessed are the meek, for they shall
possess the land." (Matt. v. 4.) They are called the
children of God. " Blessed are the peacemakers ; for
they shall be called the children of God.'' (Ibid., v. 9.)
Some boast of their meekness, but without any grounds;
for they arc meek only towards those who praise and
confer favours upon them: but to those who injure or
censure them they are all fury and vengeance. The
virtue of meekness consists in being meek and peaceful
towards those who hate and maltreat us. " With them,
that hated peace I was peaceful." (Ps. cxix. 7.)
7. We must, as St. Paul says, put on the bowels of
mercy towards all men, and bear one with another.
"Put on ye the bowels of mercy, humility, modesty,
patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving one
another, if any have a complaint against another." (Col
iii. 12, 13.) You wish others to bear with your defects,
and to pardon your faults ; you should act in the same
manner towards them. Whenever, then, you receive
an insult from a person enraged against you', remember
that a "mild answer breaketh wrath," (Prov. xv. 1.) A
certain monk once passed through a cornfield: the owner
SIX OF ANGER. 255
of the field ran out, and spoke to him in very offensive
and injurious language. The monk humbly replied :
Brother, you are right; I have done wrong; pardon me.
By this answer the husbandman was so much appeased
that he instantly became calm, and even wished to follow
the monk, and to enter into religion. The proud make
use of the humiliations they receive to increase their
pride ; but the humble and the meek turn the contempt
and insults offered to them into an occasion of advancing
in humility. " He," says St. Bernard, " is humble who
converts humiliation into humility." (Ser. xxiv. in Can.)
8. " A man of meekness," says St. Chrysostom, " is
useful to himself and to others." The meek are useful
to themselves, because, according to F. Alvares, the
time of humiliation and contempt is for them the time
of merit. Hence, Jesus Christ calls his disciples happy
when they shall be reviled and persecuted. " Blessed
are ye when they shall revile you and persecute you."
(Matt. v. 11.) Hence, the saints have always desired to
be despised as Jesus Christ has been despised. The
meek are useful to others ; because, as the same
St. Chrysostom says, there is nothing better calcu
lated to draw others to God, than to see a Christian
meek and cheerful when he receives an injury or an,
insult. " Nihil ita conciliat Domino f amiliares ut quod
ilium vident mansuetudine jucundum." The reason is,
because virtue is known by being tried ; and, as gold is
tried by fire, so the meekness of men is proved by humi
liation. " Gold and silver are tried in the fire, but
acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. (Eccl. ii.
5.) " My spikenard,'" says the spouse in the Canticles,
<( sent forth the odour thereof" (i. 11.) The spikenard
is an odoriferous plant, but diffuses its odours only when,
it is torn and bruised. In this passage the inspired
writer gives us to understand, that a man cannot be said
to be meek unless he is known to send forth the odour
of his meekness by bearing injuries and insults in peace
and without anger. God wishes us to be meek evea
towards ourselves. When a person commits a fault,
God certainly wishes him to humble himself, to be sorry
for his sin, and to purpose never to fall into it again ^
but he does not wish him to be indignant with himself,
256 SEKMON XXXIV.
and give way to trouble and agitation of mind ; for,
while the soul is agitated, a man is incapable of doing
good. " My heart is troubled ; my strength hath left
me." (Ps. xxx vii. 11.)
9. Thus, when we receive an insult, we must do vio
lence to ourselves in order to restrain anger. Let us
either answer with meekness, as recommended above, or
let us remain silent ; and thus, as St. Isidore says, we
shall conquer. " Quamvis quis irritct, tu dissimula, quia
taccndo vinces." But, if you answer through passion,
you shall do harm to yourselves and others. It would
be still worse to give an angry answer to a person who
corrects you. " Medicanti irascitur," says St. Bernard,
" qui non irascitur sagittanti." (Ser. vi. de Nativ.) Some
are not angry, though they ought to be indignant with
those who wound their souls by flattery ; and are filled
with indignation against the person who censures them
in order to heal their irregularities. Against the man
who abhors correction, the sentence of perdition has,
according to the Wise Man, been pronounced. "Because
they have despised all my reproofs,. . . .the prosperity of
fools shall destroy them." (Prov. i. 30, etc.) Fools
regard as prosperity to be free from correction, or to
despise the admonitions which they receive ; but such
prosperity is the cause of their ruin. When you meet
with an occasion of anger, you must, in the first place,
be on your guard not to allow anger to enter your heart.
*' Be not quickly angry/' (Eccles. vii. 10.) Some per
sons change colour, and get into a passion, at every con
tradiction : and when anger has got admission, God
knows to what it shall lead them. Hence, it is necessary
to foresee these occasions in our meditations and prayers;
for, unless we are prepared for them, it will be as diffi
cult to restrain anger as to put a bridle on a horse while
running away.
10. Whenever we have the misfortune to permit
anger to enter the soul, let us be careful not to allow it
to remain. Jesus Christ tells all who remember that a
brother is offended with them, not to offer the gift which
they bring to the altar without being first reconciled to
their neighbour. " Go first to be reconciled to thy
brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift."
SIX OF ANGER.
(Matt. v. 24.) And he who has received any offence,
should endeavour to root out of his heart not only all
anger, but also every feeling of bitterness towards the
persons who have offended him. " Let all bitterness,"
says St. Paul, "and anger and indignation be put
away from you." (Eph. iv. 31.) As long as anger con
tinues, follow the advice of Seneca — " When you shall
be angry do nothing, say nothing, which may be dic
tated by anger." Like David, be silent, and do not
speak, when you feel that you are disturbed. " I was
troubled, and I spoke not." (Ps. Ixxvi. 5.) How many
when inflamed with anger, say and do what they after
wards, in their cooler moments, regret, and excuse them
selves by saying that they were in a passion ? As long,
then, as anger lasts we must be silent, and abstain from
doing or resolving to do anything ; for, what is done in
the heat of passion will, according to the maxim of St.
James, be unjust. " The anger of man worketh not the
justice of God." (i. 20.) It is also necessary to abstain
altogether from consulting those who might foment our
indignation. "Blessed," says David, "is the man who
hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly." (Ps. i.
1.) To him who is asked for advice, Ecclesiasticus says.
" If thou blow the spark, it shall burn as a fire ; and if
thou spit upon it, it shall be quenched." (Eccl. xxviii.
14.) When a person is indignant at some injury which
he has received, you may, by exhorting him to patience,
extinguish the fire ; but, if you encourage revenge, you
may kindle a great flame. Let him, then, who feels
himself in any way inflamed with anger, be on his guard
against false friends, who, by an imprudent word, may
be the cause of his perdition.
11. Let us follow the advice of the apostle : " Be not
overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good." (Horn,
xii. 21.) "Be not overcome by evil:" do not allow your
self to be conquered by sin. If, through anger, you seek
revenge or utter blasphemies, you are overcome by sin.
But you will say: "I am naturally of a warm temper."
By the grace of God, and by doing violence to yourself,
you will be able to conquer your natural disposition.
Do not consent to anger, and you shall subdue the
warmth of your temper. But you say : " I cannot bear
R
258 SERMON XXX IV.
with unjust treatment." In answer I tell you, first, to
remember that anger obscures reason, and prevents us
from seeing things as they are. "Fire hath fallen on
them, and they shall not see the sun." (Ps. Ivii. 9.)
Secondly, if you return evil for evil, your enemy shall
gain a victory over you. " If," said David, " I have
rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly
fall empty before my enemies." (Ps. vii. 5.) If I render
evil for evil, I shall be defeated by my enemies. " Over
come evil by good.'"' Render every foe good for evil.
" Do good," says Jesus Christ, "to them that hate you."
(Matt. v. 44.) This is the revenge of the saints, and is
called by St. Paulinus, Heavenly revenge. It is by such
revenge that you shall gain the victory. And should
any of those, of whom the Prophet says, " The venom,
of asps is under their lips" (Ps. cxxxix. 4), ask how you
can submit to such an injury, let your answer be: " The
chalice which my Father hath given me, shall I riot
drink it?" (John xviii. 11.) And then turning to God
you shall say : " I q ened not my mouth, because thou
hast done it" (Ps. xxxviii. 10), for it is certain that
every cross which befalls you comes from the Lord.
*'• Good things and evil are from God." (Eccl xi. 14.)
Should any one take away your property, recover it if
you can ; but if you cannot, say with Job : " The Lord
gave, and the Lord hath taken away" (i. 21.) A cer
tain philosopher, who lost some of his goods in a storm,
said : " If 1 have lost my goods I will not lose my peace."
And, do you say : If I have lost my property, I will not
lose my soul.
12. In tine, when \ve meet with crosses, persecutions,
and injuiies, let us turn to God, who commands us to
bear them with patience; and thus we shall always avoid
anger. "Eemember the fear of God, and be not angry
with thy neighbour." (Eccl. xxviii. 8.) Let us give a
look at the will of God, which disposes things in this
manner for our merit, and anger shall cease. Let us
give a look at Jesus crucified, and we shall not have
courage to complain. St. Eleazar being asked by his
spouse how he bore so many injuries without yielding
to anger, answered : I turn to Jesus Christ, and thus I
preserve my peace. Finally, let us give a glance at our
VANITY OF THE WORLD. 259
sins, for which we have deserved far greater contempt and
chastisement, and we shall calmly submit to all evils. St.
Augustine says, that though we are sometimes innocent
of the crime for which we are persecuted, we are, never
theless, guilty of other sins which merit greater punish
ment than that which we endure. " Esto non habemus
peccatum, quod objicitur: habemus tamen, quod digne in
nobis flagelletur." (in Ps. Ixviii.)
SERMON XXXV.— SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the vanity of the world.
"And have nothing to eat." — MARK viii. 2.
1. SUCH were the attractions of our Divine Saviour, and
such the sweetness with which he received all, that he
drew after him thousands of the people. Ho one day saw
himself surrounded by a great multitude of men, who
followed him and remained with him three days, with
out eating anything. Touched with pity for them,
Jesus Christ said to his disciples: " I have compassion
on the multitude ; for behold they have now been with
me three days, and have nothing to eat." (Mark viii. '2.)
He, on this occasion, wrought the miracle of the multi
plication of the seven loaves and a few fishes, so as to
satisfy the whole multitude. This is the literal sense ;
but the mystic sense is, that in this world there is no
food which can fill the desire of our souls. All the
goods of this earth — riches, honours, and pleasures —
delight the sense of the body, but cannot satiate the
soul, which has been created" for God, and which God
alone can content. I will, therefore speak to-day on
the vanity of the world, and will show how great is the
illusion of the lovers of the world, who lead an un
happy life on this earth, and expose themselves to the
imminent danger of a still more unhappy life in
eternity.
2. u 0 ye sons of men," exclaims the Royal Prophet,
against worldlings, "how long will you be dull at
heart ? Why do you love vanity and seek after
260 SERMON XXXV.
lying ?" (Ps. iv. 3.) O men, 0 fools, how long will
you fix the affections of your hearts on this earth ? why
do you love the goods of this world, which are all vanity
and lies ? Do you imagine that you shall find peace by
the acquisition of these goods? But how can you expect
to find reace, while you walk in the ways of affliction,
and misery ? Behold how David describes the condition
of worldlings. " Destruction and unhappiness in their
ways; and the way of peace they have not known." (Ps.
xiii. 3.) You hope to obtain peace from the world ; but
how can the world give you that peace which you seek,
when St. John says, " that the whole world is seated in
wickedness ?" (1 John v. 19.) The world is full of ini
quities ; hence worldlings live under the despotism of the
wicked one — that is, the Devil. The Lord has declared
that there is no peace for the wicked who live without
his grace. " There is no peace to the wicked." (Isa.
xlviii. l>2.)
3. The goods of the world are but apparent goods,
which cannot satisfy the heart of man. " You have
eater.," says the Prophet Aggeus, " and have not had
enough." "(Ag- i. (>.) Instead of satisfying our hunger
they increase it. " These," says St. Bernard, " provoke
rather than extinguish hunger." If the goods of this
work! made men content, the rich and powerful should
enjoy complete happiness ; but experience shows the
contrary. We see every day that they are the most
unhiippV of men ; they appear always oppressed by
fears, by jealousies and sadness. Listen to King Solo
mon, who abounded in these goods : " And behold all
is vanity and vexation of spirit." (Eccl. i. 14.) He
tells us," that all things in this world are vanity, lies,
and illusion. They are not only vanity, but also affliction
of spirit. They torture the poor soul, which finds in
them a continual source, not of happiness, but of afflic
tion and bitterness. This is a just punishment on those
who instead of serving their God with joy, wish to
serve their enemy — the world — which makes them
endure the want of every good. " Because thou didst
not serve the Lord thy God with joy and gladness of
heart thou shaft serve thy enemy in hunger,
and thirst, and nakedness, and in want of all things/*
VANITY OF THE WORLD. 261
(Deut. xxviii. 47, 48.) Man expects to content his heart
with the goods of this earth ; but, howsoever abundantly
he may possess them, he is never satisfied. Hence, he
always seeks after more of them, and is always unhappy.
Oh ! happy he who wishes for nothing but God ; for
God will satisfy all the desires of his heart. " Delight
in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy
heart." (Ps. xxxvi. 4.) Hence St. Augustine asks:
-'What, 0 miserable man, dost thou seek in seeking
after goods ? Seek one good, in which are all goods."
And, having dearly learned that the goods of this world
do not content, but rather afflict the heart of man, the
saint, turning to the Lord, said : " All things are hard,
and thou alone repose." Hence in saying, " My God
and my all," the seraphic St. Francis, though divested
of all worldly goods, enjoyed greater riches and happi
ness than an the worldlings on this earth. Yes ; for
the peace which fills the soul that desires nothing but
God, surpasses all the delights which creatures can give.
They can only delight the senses, but cannot content
the heart of man. " The peace of God which sur-
passeth all understanding." (Phil. iy. 7.) According to
St. Thomas, the difference between God, the sovereign
good, and the goods of the earth, consists in this, that
the more perfectly we possess God, the more ardently
we love him, because the more perfectly we possess
him, the better we comprehend his infinite greatness,
and therefore the more we despise other things ; but,
when we possess temporal goods, we despise them, be
cause we see their emptiness, and desire other things,
which may make us content. " Summum bonum quanto
perfectius possidetur, tanto magis amatur, et alia con-
temnuntur. Sed in appetitu temporalium bonorum,
quando habentur, contemnentur, et alia appetuntur."
(S. Thorn, i. 2, qu. 2, art. 1, ad. 3.)
4. The Prophet Osee tells us that the world holds
in its hand a deceitful balance. " He is like Chanaan"
(that is the world) ; " there is a deceitful balance in his
hand." (Osee xii. 7.) We must, then, weigh things in
the balance of God, and not in that of the world, which
makes them appear different i'rom what they are.
What are the goods of this life ? " My days,'" said
262 SERMON XXXV.
Job, " have been swifter than a post : they have passed
by as ships carrying fruits." (Job ix. 25, 26.) The ships
signify the lives of men, which soon pass away, and run
speedily to death ; and if men have laboured only to
provide themselves with earthly goods, these fruits decay
at the hour of death : we can bring none of them with
us to the other world. We, says St. Ambrose, falsely
call these things our property, which we cannot bring
witli us to eternity, where we must live for ever, and
where virtue alone will accompany us. "Non nostra
sunt, quae non possumus auferre nobiscum : sola virtus
nos comitatur." You, says St. Augustine, attend only
to what a rich man possessed ; but tell me, which of his
possessions shall he, now that he is on the point of
death, be able to take with him ? " Quid hie habebat
attendis, quid secum fert, atteudo ?" (Serm. xiii. de Adv.
Dom.) The rich bring with them a miserable garment,
which shall rot with them in the grave. And should
they, during life, have acquired a great name, they shall
be soon forgotten. " Their memory hath perished with
a noise." (Ps. ix. 7.)
5. Oh ! that men would keep before their eyes that
great maxim of Jesus Christ — " What doth it profit a
man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of
his own soul ?" (Matt. xvi. 26.) If they did, they should
certainly cease to love the world. What shall it profit
them at the hour of death to have acquired all the goods
of this world, if their souls must go into hell to be in
torments for all eternity ? How many has this maxim,
sent into the cloister and into the desert ? How
many martyrs has it encouraged to embrace torments
and death ! In the history of England, we read of
thirty kings and queens, who left the world and becatne
religious, in order to secure a happy death. The con
sideration of the vanity of earthly goods made St.
Francis Borgia retire from the world. At the sight of
the Empress Isabella, who had died in the flower of
youth, he came to the resolution of serving God alone*
" Is such, then," he said, " the end of all the grandeur
and crowns of this world ? Henceforth I will serve a
master who can never die." The day of death is called
" the day of destruction" ("The day of destruction is at
VANITY OF THE WORLD. 263
hand/' Dout. xxxii. 35), because on that day we shall
lose and give up all the goods of the world — all its
riches, honours, and pleasures. The shade of death
obscures all the treasures and grandeurs of this earth ;
it obscures even the purple and the crown. Sister
Margaret of St. Anne, a Discalced Carmelite, and
daughter of the Emperor Rodolph the Second, used to
say : " What do kingdoms profit us at the hour of death ?"
" The affliction of an hour maketh one forget great
delights." (Eccl. xi. 29.) The melancholy hour of death
puts an end to all the delights and pomps of this life.
St. Gregory says, that all goods which cannot remain
with us, or which are incapable of taking away our
miseries, are deceitful. " Fallaces sunt que nobiscuui
permanere non possunt : fallaces sunt que mentis nostra3
inopiam non expelluut." (Horn. xv.? in Luc.) Behold a
sinner whom the riches and honours which he had
acquired made an object of envy to others. Death
came upon him when he was at the summit of his glory,
and he is no longer what he was. " I have seen the
wicked highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of
Libanus ; and I passed by, and lo ! he was not ; and I
sought him, and his place was not found." (Ps. xxxvi.
35, 38.)
6. These truths the unhappy damned fruitlessly con
fess in hell, where they exclaim with tears : " What
hath pride profited us ? or what advantage hath the
boasting of riches brought us ? All those things are
passed away like a shadow." (Wis. v. 8, 9.) What,
they say, have our pomps and riches profited us, now
that they are all passed away like a shadow, and for us
nothing remains but eternal torments and despair ?
Dearly beloved Christians, let us open our eyes, and
now that we have it in our power, let us attend to the
salvation of our souls ; for, if we lose them, we shall
not be able to save them in the next life. Aristippus,
the philosopher, was once shipwrecked, and lost all his
goods ; but such was the esteem which the people enter
tained for him on account of his learning, that, as soon
as he reached the shore, they presented him with an
equivalent for all that he had lost. He then wrote to
his friends, and exhorted them to attend to the acquisi-
201 *FRMO:N xxxv.
tion of goods which cannot be lost by shipwreck. Our
relatives and friends who have passed into eternity
exhort us, from the other world, to labour in this life
for the attainment of goods which are not lost at death.
If at that awful moment we shall be found to have
attended only to the accumulation of earthly goods,
\ve shall be called fools, and shall receive the reproach
nddressed to the rich man in the gospel, who, after
having reaped an abundant crop from his fields, said to
himself: " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for
many years ; take thy rest, eat, drink, make good cheer.
But* God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they
require thy soul of thee : and whose shall those things
be which thou hast provided ?" (Luke xii. 1(J, -0.) He
said, " they require thy soul of thee," because to every
man his soul is given, not with full power to dispose of
it as he pleases, but it is given to him in trust, that he
may preserve and return it to God in a state of inno
cence, when it shall be presented at the tribunal of the
Sovereign Judge. The Redeemer concludes this parable
by saying : " So is he that layeth up treasure for him
self, and is not rich towards God" (v. 21). This is
what happens to those who seek to CD rich themselves
with the goods of this life, and not with the love of
God. Hence St. Augustine asks : " What has the rich
man if he has not charity? If the poor man has
charity, what is there that he has not ?" He that
possesses all the treasures of this world, and has not
charity, is the poorest of men ; but the poor who have
God possess all things, though they should be bereft of
all earthly goods.
7. " The children of this world,'* says Jesus Christ,
" are wiser in their generation than the children of
light." (Luke xvi. 8.) 0 how wise in earthly affairs are
worldlings, who live in the midst of the darkness of the
world ! " Behold," says St. Augustine, " how much
men suffer for things for which they entertain a vicious
love." "What fatigue do they endure for the acquisition
of property, or of a situation of emolument ! With what
care do they endeavour to preserve their bodily health !
They consult the best physician, and procure the best
medicine. And Christians, who are the children of
VANITY OF THE WORLD. 265
light, will take no pains, will suffer nothing, to _ secure
the salvation of their souls ! 0 God ! at the light of
the candle which lights them to death, at that hour, at
that time, which is called the time of truth, worldlings
shall see and confess their folly. Then each ^of ^them
shall exclaim : 0 that I had led the life of a saint ! At
the hour of death, Philip the Second, King of Spain,
called in his son, and having shown him his breast de
voured with worms, said to him : Son, behold how we
die ; behold the end of all worldly greatness. He then
ordered a wooden cross to be fastened to his neck ; and,
having made arrangements for his death, he turned
again to his son, and said : My son, I wished you to be
present at this scene, that you might understand how
the world in the end treats even monarchs. He died
saying : Oh, that I had been a lay brother in some reli
gious order, and that I had not been a king ! Such is
the language at the hour of death, even of the princes
of the earth, whom worldlings regard as the most
fortunate of men. But these desires and sights of regret
serve only to increase the anguish and remorse of the
lovers of the world at the hour of death, when the scene
is about to close.
8. And what is the present life but a scene, which
soon passes away for ever? It may end when we least
expect it. Cassimir, King of Poland, while he sat at
table with his grandees, died in the act of raising a cup
to take a draught ; thus the scene ended for him. The
Emperor Celsus was put to death in seven days after
his election ; and the scene closed for him. Ladislaus,
King of Bohemia, in his eighteenth year, while he was
preparing for the reception of his spouse, the daughter
of the King of France, was suddenly seized with a
violent pain, which took away his life. Couriers were
instantly despatched to announce to her that the scene
was over for Ladislaus, that she might return to France.
u The world," says Cornelius a Lapide, in his comment
upon this passage, " is like a stage. One generation
passes away, and a new generation comes. The king
does not take wiih him the purple. Tell me, 0 villa, O
house, how many masters had you ?" In every age the
inhabitants of this earth are changed. Cities and king-
2G6
SERMON XXXVI.
doms are filled with new people. The first generation
passes to the other world, a second comes on, and this
is followed by another. He who, in the scene of this
world, has acted the part of a king is no longer a king.
The master of such a villa or palace is no longer its
master. Hence the Apostle gives us the following ad
vice : " The time is short ; it remaineth that... they that
use this world be as if they used it not ; for the fashion
of this world passeth away." (I Cor. vii. 29, 30.) Since
the time of our dwelling on this earth is short, and since
all must end with our death, let us make use of this
world to despise it, as if it did not exist for us ; and let
us labour to acquire the eternal treasures of Paradise,
where, as the Gospel says, there are no moths to con
sume, nor thieves to steal them. " But lay up to your
selves treasures in heaven, where neither the rust nor
the moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break
through nor steal." (Matt. vi. 20.) St. Teresa used to
say : " We should not set value on what ends with life ;
the true life consists in living in such a manner as not
to be afraid of death." Death shall have no terror for
him who, during life, is detached from the vanities of
this world, and is careful to provide himself only with
goods which shall accompany him to eternity, and make
him happy for ever.
SEEMON XXXVI.— SEVENTH SUXDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the education of children.
"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree
bring forth good fruit."— MATT. vii. 18.
THEN the gospel of this day tells us, that a good plant
cannot produce bad fruit, and that a bad one cannot
produce good fruit. Learn from this, brethren, that a
good father brings up good children. But, if parents
be wicked, how can the children be virtuous? Have
you ever, says the Redeemer, in the same gospel, seen
grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles ?
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 267
Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from
thistles ?" (v. 16.) And, in like manner, it is impossible,
or rather very difficult, to find children virtuous, who
are brought up by immoral parents. Fathers and
mothers, be attentive to this sermon, which is of great
importance to the eternal salvation of yourselves and of
your children. Be attentive, young men and young
women, who have not as yet chosen a state of life. If
you wish to marry, learn this day the obligations which
you can contract with regard to the education of your
children ; and learn also that, if you do not fulfil them,
you shall bring yourselves and all your children to dam
nation. I shall divide this sermon into two points. In
the first, I shall show how important it is to bring up
children in habits of virtue ; and in the second, I shall
show with what care and diligence a parent ought to
labour to bring them up well.
First Point. — How very important it is to bring up
children in habits of virtue.
1. A father owes two obligations to his children ; he
is bound to provide for their corporal wants, and to
educate them in habits of virtue. It is not necessary at
present to say more on the first obligation, than that
there are some fathers more cruel than the most ferocious
of wild beasts ; for these do not forget to nourish their
offspring ; _ but certain parents squander away in eating
and drinking, and gaming, all their property, or all the
fruits of their industry, and allow their children to die
of hunger. But let us come to the education, which is
the subject of my discourse.
'2. It is certain that a child's future good or ill con
duct depends on his being brought up well or ill.
Nature itself teaches every parent to attend to the edu
cation of his offspring. He who has given them being
ought to endeavour to make life useful to them. God
gives children to parents, not that they may assist the
family, but that they may be brought up in the fear of
God, and be directed in the way of eternal salvation.
" We have," says St. Chrysostom, " a great deposit in
children; let us attend to them with great care." (Horn,
ix., in 1 ad Tit.) Children have not been given to
268 SERMON XXXVT.
parents as a present, which they may dispose of as they
please, but as a trust, for which, if lost through their
negligence, they must render an account to God. The
Scripture tells us, that when a father observes the
divine law, both he and his children shall prosper.
" That it may be well with thee and thy children after
thee, when thou shalt do that which is pleasing in the
sight of God." (Deut. xii. 25.) The good or ill conduct
of a parent may be known, by those who have not
witnessed it, from the life which his children lead.
" For by the fruit the tree is known/' (Matt. xii. 33.)
" A father/' says Ecclcsiasticus, " who leaves a family,
when he departs this life, is as if he had not died ;
because his sons remain, and exhibit his habits and
character. His father is dead, and he is as if he were
not dead ; for he hath left one behind him that is like
himself." (Eccl. xxx. 4.) When we find a son addicted
to blasphemies, to obscenities, and to theft, we have
reason to suspect that such too was the character of the
father. " Fur a man is known by his children." (Eccl.
xi. 30.)
3. Hence Origen says, that on the day of judgment
parents shall have to render an account for all the sins
<jf their children. *' Omnia quaocumque delinquerint
filii, a parentibus requiruntur.1' (Grig., Lib. 2, in Job.)
Hence, he who teaches his son to live well, shall die a
happy and tranquil death. " He that teacheth his son
...when he died he was not sorrowful, neither was he
confounded." (Eccl. xxx. 3, 5.) And he shall save his
soul by means of his children ; that is, by the virtuous
education which he has given them. " She shall be
.saved through child-bearing." (1 Tim. ii. 15.) But, on
the other hand, a very uneasy and unhappy death shall
be the lot of those who have laboured only to increase
the possessions, or to multiply the honours of their family ;
or who have sought only to lead a life of ease and plea
sure, but have not watched over the morals of their
children. St. Paul says, that such parents are worse
than infidels. *' But if any man have not care of his
own, and especially of those of his house, he hath denied
the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (1 Tim. v. 8.)
"Were fathers or mothers to lead a life of piety and con-
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 269
tinual prayer, and to communicate every day, they
should be damned if they neglected the care of their
children. "Would to God that certain parents paid as
much attention to their children as they do to their
horses ! How careful are they to see that their horses
are fed and well trained ! And they take no pains to
make their children attend at catechism, hear mass, or
go to confession. " We take more care/' says St. Chry-
sostom, " of our asses and horses, than of the children/'
(Horn, x., in Matt.)
4. If all fathers fulfilled their duty of watching over
the education of their children, we should have but few
crimes and few executions. By the bad education
which parents give to their offspring, they cause their
children, says St. Chrysostom, to rush into many grie
vous vices ; and thus they deliver them up to the hands
of the executioner. " Majoribus illos malis involvimus,
et carnih'cum manibus damns." (Serin, xx., de divers.)
Hence, in Lacedemon, a parent, as being the cause of
all the irregularities of his children, was justly punished
for their crimes with greater severity than the children
themselves. Great indeed is the misfortune of the
child that has vicious parents, who are incapable of
bringing up their children in the fear of God, and who,
when they see their children engaged in dangerous
friendships and in quarrels, instead of correcting and
chastising them, rather take compassion on them, and
say : " What can be done ? They are young ; they must
take their course." Oh ! what wicked maxims ! what
a cruel education ! Do you hope that when your chil
dren grow up they shall become saints ? Listen to
what Solomon says : " A young man, according to his
way, even when he is old, he will not depart from it."
(Prov. xxii. 6.) A young man who has contracted a
habit of sin will not abandon it even in his old age.
" His bones," says Job, " shall be filled with the vices
of his youth, and they shall sleep with him in the dust."
(Job xx. 11.) When a young person has lived in evil
habits, his bones shall be filled with the vices of his
youth, so that he will carry them with him to death ;
and the impurities, blasphemies, and hatred to which he
was accustomed in his youth, shall accompany him to
270 SERMON XXXVI.
the grave, and shall sleep -with him after his bones shall
be reduced to dust and ashes. It is very easy, when
they are small, to train up children to habits of virtue ;
but, when they have come to manhood, it is equally
difficult to correct them, if they have learned habits of
vice. JBut, let us^come to the second point — that is, to
the means of bringing up children in the practice of
virtue. I entreat you, fathers and mothers, to remem
ber what I now say to you ; for on it depends the eternal
salvation of your own souls, and of the souls of your
children.
Second Point. — On the care and diligence with which
parents ought to endeavour to bring up their children in
habits of virtue.
5. St. Paul teaches sufficiently, in a few words, in
what the proper education of children consists. lie sa)rs
that it consists in discipline and correction. " And you,
fathers, provoke not your children to anger ; but bring
them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord."
(Ephes. vi. 4 )^ Discipline, which is the same as the re
ligious regulation of the morals of children, implies an
obligation of educating them in habits of virtue by word
and example. First, by words : a good father should
often assemble his children, and instil into them the holy
fear of God. It was in this manner that Tobias brought
up his little son. The father taught him from his child
hood to fear the Lord and to % from sin. " And from
his infancy he taught him to fear God and to abstain
from sin/' (Tob. i. 10.) The Wise Man says that a well
educated son is the support and consolation of his father.
" Instruct thy son, and he shall refresh thee, and shall
give delight to thy soul." (Prov. xxix. J7.) But, as a
weU instructed son is the delight of his father's soul, so
an ignorant child is a source of sorrow to a father's
heart ; for the ignorance of his obligations as a Christian
is always accompanied with a bad life. Cantipratensis
relates (lib. 1, cap. 20) that, in the year 1248, an igno
rant priest was commanded, in a certain synod, to make
a discourse. But while he was greatly agitated by the
command, the devil appeared to him, and instructed
him to say : " The rectors of infernal darkness salute
the rectors of parishes, and thank them for their negli-
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 271
gence in instructing the people ; because from ignorance
proceed the misconduct and the damnation of many."
The same is true of negligent parents. In the first
place, a parent ought to instruct his children in the
truths of faith, and particularly in the four principal
mysteries. First, that there is hut one God, the Creator,
and Lord of all things ; secondly, that this God is a remu-
nerator, who, in the next life, shall reward the good with
the eternal glory of Paradise, and shall punish the wicked
with the everlasting torments of hell; thirdly, the
mystery of the holy Trinity — that is, that in God there
are Three Persons, who are only one God, because they
have but one essence ; fourthly, the mystery of the
incarnation of the Divine Word — the Son of God, and
true God, who became man in the womb of Mary,
and suffered and died for our salvation. Should a father
or a mother say : I myself do not know these mysteries,
can such an excuse be admitted ? — that is, can one sin
excuse another ? If you are ignorant of these mysteries
you are obliged to learn them, and afterwards teach them
to your children. At least, send your children to the
catechism. Oh ! what a misery to see so many fathers
and mothers who are unable to instruct their children in
the most necessary truths of faith, and who, instead of
sending their sons and daughters to the Christian doctrine
on festivals, employ them in messages, or other occupa
tions of little moment ; and when grown up they know
not what is meant by mortal sin, by hell, or eternity.
They do not even know the Creed, the Pater Noster, or
the Hail Mary, which every Christian is bound to learn
under pain of mortal sin.
6. Religious parents not only instruct their children
in these things, which are the most important, but they
also teach them the acts which ought to be made every
morning after rising. They teach them, first, to thank
God for having preserved their life during the night ;
secondly, to offer to God all the good actions which they
will pertorm, and all the pains which they shall suffer
during the day ; thirdly, to implore of Jesus Christ and
most holy Mary to preserve them from all sin during
the day. They teach them to make every evening an
examen of conscience and an act of contrition. They
272 SERMON XXXVI.
also teach them to make every day the acts of Faith,
Hope, and Charity, to recite the Rosary, and to visit the
hlessed Sacrament. Some good fathers of families are
careful to get a hook of meditations read, and to have
mental prayer in common for half an hour every day.
This is what the Holy Ghost exhorts you to practise.
" Hast thou children ? Instruct them and bow down
their neck from their childhood." (Eccl. vii. 25.) En
deavour to train them from their infancy to these reli
gious hahits, and when they grow up they shall persevere
in them. Accustom them also to go to confession and
communion every week. Be careful to make them go to
confession when they arrive at the age of seven, and to-
communion at the age of ten. This is the advice of St.
Charles Borromeo. As soon as they attain the use of
reason make them receive the sacrament of confir
mation.
7. It is also very useful to infuse good maxims into
the infant minds of children. Oh ! what ruin is brought
upon his children by the father who teaches them worldly
maxims ! " You must," some people say to their chil
dren, " seek the esteem and applause of the world. God
is merciful ; he takes compassion on certain sins."
Miserable the young man who sins in obedience to such
maxims. Good parents teach very different maxims to
their children. Queen Blanche, the mother of St. Louis,
King of France, used to say to him: b< My son, I would
rather see you dead in my arms than in the state of sin."
Oh ! brethren, let it be your practice also to infuse into
your children certain maxims of salvation, such as,
*' What will it profit us to gain the whole world, if we
lose our own souls ? Every thing on this earth has an
end ; but eternity never ends. Let all be lost, provided
God is not lost." One of these maxims well impressed
on the mind of a young person will preserve him always
in the grace of God.
8. But parents are obliged to instruct their children
in the practice of virtue, not only by words, but still
more by example. If you give your children bad ex
ample, how can you expect that they will lead a good
life ? When a dissolute young man is corrected for a
fault, he answers : Why do you censure me, when my
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 273
father does worse. " The children will complain of an
ungodly father, because for his sake they are in re
proach/' (Eccl. xli. 10.) How is it possible for a son
to be moral and religious, when he has had the example
of a father who was accustomed to utter blasphemies and
obscenities ; who spent the entire day in the tavern, ia
gaming and drunkenness ; who was in the habit of fre
quenting houses of bad fame, and of defrauding his
neighbour ? Do you expect that your son will go fre
quently to confession, when you yourself approach the
tribunal of penance scarcely once a year ? Children are
like apes ; they do what they see .their parents do. It is
related in the fables, that a crab-fish one day rebuked its
young for walking crookedly. They replied : Father, let
us see you walk. The father walked before them more
crookedly than they did. This is what happens to the
parent who gives bad example. Hence, he has not even
courage to correct his children for the sins which he
himself commits.
9. But though he should correct them, by words, of
what use is his correction when he sets them a bad ex
ample by his acts ? It has been said in the council of
Bishops, that " men believe the eyes rather than the
ears." And St. Ambrose says : " The eyes convince me
of what they see more quickly than the ear can in
sinuate what is past." (Serm. xxiii., de S. S.) According
to St. Thomas, scandalous parents compel, in a certain
manner, their children to lead a bad life. " Eos ad
peccatum, quantum in eis fuit obligaverunt" (in Ps.
STL). They are not, says St. Bernard, fatheis, but
murderers ; they kill, not the bodies, but the souls of
their children. " Non parentes, sed peremptores." It
is useless for them to say : " My children have been bora
with bad dispositions." This is not true ; for, as Seneca
says, " you err, if you think that vices are born with
us ; they have been engrafted." (Ep. xciv.) Vices are
not born with your children, but have been communi
cated to them by the bad example of the parents. If
you had given good example to your sons, they should
not be so vicious as they are. O brethren, frequent the
sacraments, assist at sermons, recite the Rosary every
day, abstain from all obscene language, from, detraction,
274 SERMON xxxvi.
and from quarrels ; and you shall see that your sons
will go often to confession, will assist at sermons, will
say the Rosary, will speak modestly, and will fly from
detraction and disputes. It is particularly necessary to
train up children to virtue in their infancy : " Bow down
their neck from their childhood ;" for when ^they have
grown up and contracted bad hahits, it will be very
difficult lor you to produce, by words, any amendment
in their lives.
10. To bring up children in the discipline of the
Lord, it is also necessary to take away from them the
occasion of doing evil. Hence a father must, in the
first place, forbid his children to go out at night, or to
go to a house in which their virtue might be exposed to
danger, or to keep bad company. " Cast out," said
Sarah to Abraham, " this bondwoman and her son."
(Gen. xxi. 10.) She wished to have Ishmael, the son of
Agar the bondwoman, banished from her hou^e, that her
son Isaac might not learn his vicious habits. Bad com
panions are the ruin of young persons. A father should
not only remove the evil which he witnesses, but he is
also bound to inquire after the conduct of his children,
and to seek information from domestics and from cxterns
regarding the places which his sons frequent when they
leave home, regarding their occupations and companions.
Secondly, he should take from them every musical
instrument which is to them an occasion of going out at
night, and all forbidden weapons which may lead them
into quarrels or disputes. Thirdly, he should dismiss
all immoral servants ; and, if his sons be grown up, he
should not keep in his house any young female servant.
Some parents pay little attention to this ; and when the
evil happens they complain of their children, as if they
expected that tow thrown into the fire should not burn.
Fourthly, a father ought to forbid his children ever to
bring into his house stolen goods — such as fowl, fruit,
and the like. When Tobias heard the bleating of a goat
in his house, he said : " Take heed, lest perhaps it be
stolen ; restore ye it to its owners." (Tob. li. '21.) How
often does it happen that, when a child steals something,
the mother says to him : " Bring it to me, my sou."
Parents should prohibit to their children all games which
EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 275
bring destruction on their families and on their own
souls, and also masks, scandalous comedies, and certain,
dangerous conversations and parties of pleasure. Fifthly,
a father should remove from his house romances, which
pervert young persons, and all bad books which contain
pernicious maxims, tales of obscenity, or of profane love.
Sixthly, he ought not to allow his children to sleep in
his own bed, nor the males and females to sleep toge
ther. Seventhly, he should not permit his daughters to
be alone with men, whether young or old. But some
will say : " Such a man teaches my daughters to read
and write, etc. ; he is a saint." The saints are in
heaven ; but the saints that are on earth are flesh, and
by proximate occasions they may become devils.
Eighthly, if he has daughters, he should not permit
young men to frequent his house. To get their daugh
ters married, some mothers invite young men to their
houses. They are anxious to see their daughters mar
ried ; but they do not care to see them in sin. These
are the mothers who, as David says, immolate their
daughters to the devil. " They sacrifice their sons and
their daughters to devils." (Ps. cv. 37.) And to excuse
themselves they will say: " Father, there is no harm in
what I do." There is no harm ! Oh ! how many mothers
shall we see condemned on the day of judgment on
account of their daughters ! The conduct of such mothers
is at least a subject of conversation among their neigh
bours and equals ; and, for all, the parents must render
an account to God. O fathers and mothers ! confess all
the sins you have committed in this respect, before the
day on which you shall be judged arrives.
11. Another obligation of parents is, to correct the
faults of the family. " Bring them up in the discipline
and correction of the Lord/' There are fathers and
mothers who witness faults in the family, and remain
silent. A certain mother was in the habit of acting in
this manner. Her husband one day took a stick and
began to beat her severely. She cried out, and said: "I
am doing nothing. Why do you beat me ?" "I beat you/'
replied the husband, " because you see, and do not cor
rect, the faults of the children — because you do nothing."
Through fear of displeasing their children some fathers
276 SERMON xxxvii.
neglect to correct them ; but, if you saw your son falling
into a pool of water, and in danger of being drowned,
would it not be savage cruelty not to catch him by the
hair and save his life ? " He that spareth the rod hateth
his son." (Prov. xiii. 24.) If you love your sons correct
them, and, while they are growing up chastise them,
even with the rod, as often as it may be necessary. I
say, " with the rod," but not with the stick ; for you
must correct them like a father, and not like a galley
sergeant. You must be careful not to beat them when
you are in a passion ; for, you shall then be in danger
of beating them with too much severity, and the correc
tion will be without fruit ; for they then believe that the
chastisement is the effect of anger, and not of a desire
on your part to see them amend their lives. I have
also said that you should correct them u while they are
growing up ;" for, when they arrive at manhood, your
correction will be of little use. You must then abstain
from correcting them with the hand; otherwise, they
shall hecome more perverse, and shall lose their respect
for you. But of what use is it to correct children by so
many injurious words and by so many imprecations?
Deprive them of some part of their meals, of certain
articles of dress, or shut them up in a room. But I
have said enough. Dearly beloved brethren, draw from
the discourse which you have heard the conclusion, that
he who has brought up his children badly shall be
severely punished ; and that he who has trained them
to habits of virtue shall receive a great reward.
SERMON XXXVIL-EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the particular judgment.
11 Give an account of thy stewardship." — LUKE xvi. 2.
BELOVED Christians, of all the goods of nature, of fortune,
and of grace, which we have received from God, we
are not the masters, neither can we dispose of them as
PARTICULAR JUDGMENT. 277
we please ; we are but the administrators of them ; and
therefore we should employ them according to the will
of God, who is our Lord. Hence, at the hour of death,
we must render a strict account of them to Jesus Christ,
our Judge. " For we must all be manifested before the
judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the
proper things of the body as he hath done, whether it
be good or evil." (2 Cor. v. 10.) This is the precise
meaning of that " give an account of thy stewardship,"
in the gospel of this day. " You are not," says St.
Bonaventure, in his comment on these words, " a master,
but a steward over the things committed to you ; and
therefore you are to render an account of them." I will
place before your eyes to-day the rigour of this judg
ment, which shall be passed on each of us on the last day
of our life. Let us consider the terror of the soul, first,
when we shall be presented to the Judge ; secondly,
when she shall be examined ; and thirdly, when she
shall be condemned.
First Point. — Terror of the soul when she shall be
presented to the Judge.
] . "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after
this the judgment." (Heb. ix. 27.) It is of faith that
we shall die, and that after death a judgment shall be
passed on all the actions of our life. JSTow, what shall
be the terror of each of us when we shall be at the
point of death, and shall have before our eyes the judg
ment which must take place the very moment the soul
departs from the body? Then shall be decided our
doom to eternal life, or to eternal death. At the time
of the passage of their souls from this life to eternity,
the sight of their past sins, the rigour of God's judg
ment, and the uncertainty of their eternal salvation,
have made the saints tremble. St. Mary Magdalene de
Pazzia trembled in her sickness, through the fear of
judgment ; and to her confessor, when he endeavoured
to give her courage, she said : "Ah! father, it is a terrible
thing to appear before Christ in judgment." After spend
ing so many years in penance in the desert, St. Agatho
trembled at the hour of death, and said : " What shall
become of me when I shall be judged ?" The venerable
278 SERMON XXXVII.
Father Louis da Ponte was seized with such a fit of
trembling at the thought of the account which he should
render to God, that he shook the room in which he lay.
The thought of judgment inspired the venerable Juvenal
Ancina, Priest of the Oratory, and afterwards Bishop
of Saluzzo, with the determination to leave the world.
Hearing the Dies Ircc sung, and considering the terror
of the soul when presented before Jesus Christ, the
Judge, he took, and afterwards executed, the resolution
of giving himself entirely to God.
2. It is the common opinion of theologians, that at
the very moment and in the very place in which the
soul departs from the body, the divine tribunal is
erected, the accusation is read, and the sentence is
passed by Jesus Christ, the Judge. At this terrible
tribunal each of us shall be presented to give an account
of all our thoughts, of all our words, and of all our
actions. " For we must all be manifested before the
judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the
proper things of the body, according as he hath done,
whether it be good or evil." ('2 Cor. v. 10.) When pre
sented before an earthly judge criminals have been seen
to fall into a cold sweat through fear. It is related of
Piso, that so great and insufferable was the confusion,
which he felt at the thought of appearing as a criminal
before the senate that he killed himself. How great is
the pain of a vassal, or of a son, in appearing before an
angry prince or an enraged father, to account for some
crime which he has committed ! Oh ! how much greater
shall be the pain and confusion of the soul in standing,
before Jesus Christ enraged against her for having de
spised him during her life! Speaking of judgment, St.
Luke says: "Then you shall see the Son of Man."
(Luke xxi. 27.) They shall see Jesus Christ as man,,
with the same wounds with which he ascended into
heaven. " Great joy of the beholders !" says llobert the
Abbot, " a great terror of those who are in expectation !"
These wounds shall console the just, and shall terrify the
wicked. In them sinners shall see the Redeemer's love
for themselves, and their ingratitude to him.
o. " Who," says the Prophet Nahum, " can stand
before the face of his indignation ?" (i. 6.) How great,.
PARTICULAR JUDGMENT. 279
then, shall be the terror of a soul that finds herself in
sin before this Judge, the first time she shall see him, and
see him full of wrath ! St. Basil says that she shall be
tortured more by her shame and confusion than by the
very fire of hell. " Horridior quam ignis, erit pudor."
Philip the Second rebuked one of his domestics for
having told him a lie. " Is it thus," said the king to
him, " you deceive me ?" The domestic, after having
returned home, died of grief. The Scripture tells us,
that when Joseph reproved his brethren, saying: " I am.
Joseph, whom you sold," they were unable to answer
through fear, and remained silent. " His brethren could
not answer him, being struck with exceeding great
fear." (Gen. xlv. 3.) Now what answer shall sinners
make to Jesus Christ when he shall say to them : I am
your Redeemer and your Judge, whom you have so
much despised. Where shall the miserable beings fly,
says St. Augustine, when they shall see an angry Judge
above, hell open below, on one side their own sins accus
ing them, and on the other the devils dragging them to
punishment, and their conscience burning them within^?
" Above shall be an enraged Judge — below, a horrid
chaos — on the right, sins accusing him — on the left,
demons dragging him to punishment — within, a burning
conscience ! Whither shall a sinner, beset in this
manner, fly ?" Perhaps he will cry for mercy ? But
how, asks Eusebius Emissenus, can he dare to implore
mercy, when he must first render an account of his
contempt for the mercy which Jesus Christ has shown
to him ? " With what face will you, who are to be
first judged for contempt of mercy, ask for mercy?"
But let us come to the rendering of the accounts.
Second Point. — Terror of the soul when she shall be
examined.
4. As soon as the soul shall be presented before the
tribunal of Jesus Christ, he will say to her : " Give an
account of thy stewardship:" render instantly an account
of thy entire life. The Apostle tells us, that to be
worthy of eternal glory our lives must be found con
formable to the life of Jesus Christ. " For whom he
foreknew, he also predestinated to be made conformable
280 SERMON XXXVII.
to the image of his son ;...them he also glorified." (Rom.
viii. 29, 30.) Hence St. Peter has said, that in the
judgment of Jesus Christ, the just man who has observed
the divine law, has pardoned enemies, has respected the
saints, has practised chastity, meekness, and other
virtues, shall scarcely be saved. " The just man shall
scarcely be saved." The Apostle adds: "Where shall
the ungodly and the sinner appear ?" (1 Pet. iv. 18.)
What shall become of the vindictive and the unchaste,
of blasphemers and slanderers ? What shall become of
those whose entire life is opposed to the lite of Jesus
Christ ?
5. In the first place, the Judge shall demand of sin
ners an account of all the blessings and graces which he
bestowed on thorn in order to bring them to salvation,
and which they have rendered fruitless. He will demand
r.n account of the years granted to them that they might
serve God, and which they have spent in offending him.
" He hath called against me the time." (Lam. i. 15.) He
will then demand an account of their sins. Sinners
commit sins, and afterwards forget them ; but Jesus
Christ does not forget them : he keeps, as Job says, all
our iniquities numbered, as it were in a bag. *• Thou
hast sealed up my iniquities, as it were in a bag." (Job
xiv. 17.) And he tells us that, on the day of accounts,
he will take a lamp to scrutinize all the actions of our
life. " And it shall come to pass at that time, that I
will search Jerusalem with lamps." (Soph. i. 12.) The
lamp, says Mendoza on this passage, penetrates all the
corners of the house— that is, God will discover all the
defects of our conscience, great and small. According to
St. Anselm, an account shall be demanded of every glance
ofthee^es. " Exigitur usque ad ictum oculi." And,
according to St. Matthew, of every idle word. " Every
idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an
account for it on the day of judgment." (Matt. xii. 36.)
6. The Prophet Malachy says, that as gold is refined
by taking away the dross, so on the day of judgment
all our actions shall be examined, and every defect
which may be discovered shall be punished. " He shall
purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold."
(Mai. iii. 3.) Even our justices — that is, our good works,
PARTICULAR JUDGMENT. 281
confessions, communions, and prayers — shall be exa
mined. " When I shall take a time, I will judge
justices." (Ps. Ixxiv. 3.) But if every glance, every idle
word, and even good works, shall be judged, with what
rigour shall immodest expressions, blasphemies, grievous
detractions, thefts, and sacrileges be judged ? Alas ! on
that day every soul shall, as St. Jerome says, see, to her
own confusion, all the evils which she has done.
" Yidebit unusquisque quod fecit."
7. " Weight and balance are judgments of the Lord/'
(Prov. xvi. 11.) In the balance of the Lord a holy life
and good works make the scale descend ; but nobility,
wealth, and science have no weight. Hence, if found
innocent, the peasant, the poor, and the ignorant shall
be rewarded. But the man of rank, of wealth, or of
learning, if found guilty, shall be condemned. " Thou
art weighed in the balance," said Daniel to Belthassar,
" and art found wanting." (Dan. v. 27.) " Neither his
gold nor his wealth," says Father Alvares, " but the
king alone was weighed."
8. At the divine tribunal the poor sinner shall see
himself accused by the devil, who, according to St.
Augustine, " will recite the words of our profession, and
will charge us before our face with all that we have
done, will state the day and hour in which we sinned."
(Con. Jud., torn. 6.) " He will recite the words of our
profession" — that is, he will enumerate the promises which
we have made to God, and which we afterwards violated.
" He will charge us before our face ;" he will upbraid us
with all our wicked deeds, pointing to the day and hour
in which they were committed. And he will, as the
same saint says, conclude his accusation by saying:
" I have suffered neither stripes nor scourges for this
man." Lord, I have suffered nothing for this ungrateful
sinner, and to make himself my slave he has turned his
back on thee who has endured so much for his salva
tion. He, therefore, justly belongs to me. Even his
angel-guardian will, according to Origen, come forward
to accuse him, and will say : " I have laboured so many
years for his salvation ; bat he has despised all my ad
monitions." " Unusquisque angelorum perhibet testi-
monium, quot annis circa eum laboraverit, sed ille
282 SERMON XXXVII.
monita sprevit." (Horn. Ixvi.) Thus, even friends shall
treat with contempt the guilty soul. " All her friends
have despised her." (Lamen. i. 2.) Her very sins shall,
says St. Bernard, accuse her. u And they shall say :
You have made us ; we are your work ; we shall not
desert you." (Lib. Medit, cap. ii.) AVe are your off
spring ; we shall not leave you : we shall be your com
panions in hell for all eternity.
9. Let us now examine the excuses which the sinner
will be able to advance. He will say, that the evil in
clinations of nature had drawn him into sin. But he
shall be told that, if concupiscence impelled him to sins,
it did not oblige him to commit them ; and that, if he
had recourse to God, he should have received from him
grace to resist every temptation. For this purpose
Jesus Christ has left us the sacraments : but when we
do not make use of them, we can complain only of our
selves. " But/' says the Redeemer, " now they have
no excuse for their sin." (John xv. 22.) To excuse
himself, the sinner shall also say that the devil tempted
him to sin. But, as St. Augustine says, " The enemy is
bound like a dog in chains, and can bite only him who
has united himself to him with a deadly security." The
devil can bark, but cannot bite unless you adhere and
listen to him. Hence the saint adds: " See how foolish
is the man whom a dog, loaded with chains, bites."
Perhaps he will advance his bad habits as an excuse ;
but this shall not stand ; for the same St. Augustine
says, that though it is difficult to resist the force of an
evil habit, " if any one does not desert himself, he will
conquer it with the divine assistance." If a man does
not abandon himself to sin, and invokes God's aid, he
will overcome evil habits. The Apostle tells us, that
the Lord does not permit us to be tempted above our
strength. " God is faithful, who will not suffer you to
be tempted above that which you are able." ( I Cor. x.
13.)
10. " For what shall I do," said Job, " when God
shall rise to judge me ? and when he shall examine,
what shall 1 answer him t" (Job xxxi. 14.) What
answer shall the sinner give to Jesus Christ ? How
can he, who sees himself so clearly convicted, give an
PARTICULAR JUDGMENT. 283
answer ? He shall be covered with confusion, and shall
remain silent, like the man found without the nuptial
garment. " But he was silent." (Matt. xxii. 12.) His
very sins shall shut the sinner's mouth. " And all
iniquity shall stop her mouth." (Ps. cvi. 42.) There,,
says St. Thomas of Villanova, there shall be no inter
cessor to whom the sinner can have recourse. " There,
there is no opportunity of sinning ; there, no intercessor,
no friend, no father shall assist." Who shall then save
you ? Is it God ? 13ut how, asks St. Basil, can you
expect salvation from him whom you have despised ?
" Who shall deliver you ? Is it God, whom you have
insulted ?" (S. Bas., Or. 4, de Fen.) Alas ! the guilty
soul that leaves this world in sin, is condemned by her
self before the Judge pronounces sentence. Let us come
to the sentence of the Judge.
Third Point. — Terror of the soul when she shall be
condemned.
11. How great shall be the joy of a soul when, at
death, she hears from Jesus Christ these sweet words :
" Well done, good and faithful servant ; because thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee
over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord." (Matt. xxv. 21.) Equally great shall be the
anguish and despair of a guilty soul, that shall see her
self driven away by the Judge with the following words :
" Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire"
(verse 41). Oh ! what a terrible thunderclap shall that
sentence be to her ! " Oh ! how frightfully," says tho
Carthusian, "shall that thunder resound!" Eusebius
writes, that the terror of sinners at hearing their con
demnation shall be so great that, if they could, they
would die again. " The wicked shall be seized with
such terror at the sight of the Judge pronouncing sen
tence that, if they were not immortal, they should die a
second time." But, brethren, let us, before the termi
nation of this sermon, make some reflections which will
be profitable to us. St. Thomas of Yillanova says, that
some listen to discourses on the judgment and condem
nation of the wicked with as little concern as if they
they themselves were secure against these things, or as
284 SERMON XXXVII.
if the day of judgment were never to arive for them.
" lieu quam sccuri hrcc dicimus et audimus, quasi nos
non tangeret hoDC sententia, aut quasi dies haec nunquam
esset venturus !" (Cone, i., de Jud.) The saint then
asks : Is it not great folly to entertain security in so
perilous an affair ? " Qua3 est ista stulta securitas in
discrimine tanto ?" There are some, says St. Augustine,
who, though they live in sin, cannot imagine that God
will send them to hell. " Will God," they say, " really
condemn us ?" Brethren, adds the saint, do not speak
thus. So, many of the damned did not believe that
they should be sent to hell ; but the end came, and,
according to the threat of Ezechiel, they have been cast
into that place of darkness. "The end is come, the
end is come... and I will send my wrath upon thee, and
I will judge thee." (Ezec. vii. 2, 3.) Sinners, perhaps
vengeance is at hand for you, and still you laugh and
sleep in sin. Who will not tremble at the words of the
Baptist : " For now the axe is laid to the root of the
trees. Every tree, therefore, that doth not yield good
fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire." (Matt,
iii. 10.) He says, that every tree that does not bring
forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire ;
and he promises that, with regard to the trees, which
represent sinners, the axe is already laid to the roots
— that is, chastisement is at hand. Dearly beloved
brethren, let us follow the counsel of the Holy Ghost —
"Before judgment, prepare thee justice." (Eccl. xviii.
19.) Let us adjust our accounts before the day of
accounts. Let us seek God, now that we can find him ;
for the time shall come when we will wish, but shall
not be able to find him. " You shall seek me, and shall
not find me." (John vii. 3G.) " Before judgment," says
St. Augustine, " the Judge can be appeased, but not in
judgment." By a change of life we can now appease
the anger of Jesus Christ, and recover his grace ; but
when he shall judge, and find us in sin, he must execute
justice, and we shall be lost.
DEATH OF THE SINNER. 285
SERMON XXXVIII.— NINTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the death of the sinner.
"Thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee." — LUKE xix. 43.
SEEING from a distance the city of Jerusalem, in which
the Jews were soon to put him to death, Jesus Christ
wept over it. " Videns civitatern flevit super illam."
Our merciful Redeemer wept at the consideration of the
chastisement which was soon to be inflicted on the city,
and which he foretold to her inhabitants. " Thy enemies
shall cast a trench about thee/' Unhappy city ! thou
shalt one day see thyself encompassed by enemies, who
shall beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children in
thee, and shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone.
Most beloved brethren, this unhappy city is a figure of
the soul of a sinner, who, at the hour of death, shall find
himself surrounded by his enemies — first, by remorse of
conscience ; secondly, by the assaults of the devils ; and
thirdly, by the fears of eternal death.
First Point. The sinner at death shall be tortured
by remorses of conscience.
1. " Their soul shall die in a storm." (Job xxxvi. 14.)
The unhappy sinners who remain in sin die in a tempest,
with which God has beforehand threatened them. " A
tempest shall break out and come upon the head of the
wicked." (Jer. xxiii. 19.) At the commencement of his
illness the sinner is not troubled by remorse or fear ;
because his relatives, friends, physicians, and all tell him
that his sickness is not dangerous ; thus he is deceived
and hopes to recover. But when his illness increases,
and malignant symptoms, the harbingers of approaching
death, begin to appear, then the storm with which the
Lord has threatened the wicked shall commence. "When
sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruction as a
tempest shall be at hand." (Prov. i. 27.) This tempest
shall be formed as well by the pains of sickness as by the
fear of being obliged to depart from this earth, and to
286
SEEMON XXXVITT.
leave all things ; but still more by the remorses of con
science, which shall place before his eyes all the irregu
larities of his past life. " They shall come with fear at
the thought of their sins, and their iniquities shall stand
against them to convict them." (Wis. iv. 20.) Then
shall his sins rush upon his mind, and fill him with
terror. His iniquities shall stand against him to convict
him, and, without the aid of other testimony, shall assail
him, and prove that he deserves hell.
2. The dying sinner will confess his sins ; but, accord
ing to St. Augustine, " The repentance which is sought
from a sick man is infirm." (Serin, xxxvii., de Temp.)
And St. Jerome says, that of a hundred thousand sinners
who continue till death in the state of sin, scarcely one
shall be saved. " Yix de centum milibus, quorum mala
vita fuit, meretur in morte a Deo indulgentiam, unus."
(Epis. de Mort. Eus.) St. Vincent Ferrer writes, that it
is a greater miracle to save such sinners, than to raise
the dead to life. " Majus miraculum est, quod male
viventes faciant bonum finem, quam suscitare mortuos."
(Serm. i., de Nativ. Yirgin.) They shall feel convinced
of the evil they have done ; they will wish, but shall not
be able, to detest it. Antiochus understood the malice
of his sins when he said : " Now I remember the evils
that I have done in Jerusalem." (1 Mach. vi. 12.) He
remembered his sins, but did not detest them. He died
in despair and oppressed with great sadness, saying:
" Behold, I perish with great grief in a strange land"
(v. 13). According to St. Fulgentius, the same happened
to Saul at the hour of death : he remembered his sins ;
he dreaded the punishment which they deserved ; but he
did not detest them. " JNTon odit quid fecerat, sed timuit
quod nolebat."
3. Oh ! how difficult is it for a sinner, who has slept
many years in sin, to repent sincerely at the hour of
death, when his mind is darkened, and his heart
hardened ! " His heart shall be as hard as a stone, and
as firm as a smith's anvil." (Job xli. 15.) During life,
instead of yielding to the graces and calls of God, he
became more obdurate, as the anvil is hardened by
repeated strokes of the hammer. " A hard heart shall
fare evil at the last." (Eccl. iii. 27.) By loving sin till
DEATH OF THE SINNER. 287
death, he has loved the danger of his damnation, and
therefore God will justly permit him to perish in the
danger in which he wished to live till death.
4. St. Augustine says, that he who is abandoned by
sin before he abandons it, will scarcely detest it as he
ought at the hour of death ; for he will then detest it,
not through a hatred of sin, but through necessity.
" Qui prius a peccato relinquitur, quam ipse relinquat,
non libere, sed quasi ex necessitate condemnat." But
how shall he be able to hate from his heart the sins which
he has loved till death ? He must love the enemy whom
till then he has hated, and he must hate the person whom
he has till that moment loved. Oh ! what mountains
must he pass ! He shall probably meet with a fate similar
to that of a certain person, who kept in confinement a
great number of wild beasts in order to let them loose on
the enemies who might assail him. But the wild beasts,
as soon as he unchained them, instead of attacking his
enemies, devoured himself. When the sinner will wish to
drive away his iniquities, they shall cause his destruction,
either by complacency in objects till then loved, or by
despair of pardon at the sight of their numbers and
enormity. "Evils shall catch the unjust man unto
destruction." (Ps. cxxxix. 12.) St. Bernard says, that
at death the sinner shall see himself chained and bound
by his sins. " We are your works ; we will not desert
you." We will not leave you ; we will accompany you
to judgment, and will be your companions for all eternity
in hell.
Second Point. The dying sinner shall be tortured by
the assaults of the devils.
5. " The devil is come down unto you, having great
wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time." (Apoc.
xii. 12.) At death the devil exerts all his powers to
secure the soul that is about to leave this world ; for he
knows, from the symptoms of the disease, that he has
but little time to gain her for eternity. The Council
of Trent teaches that Jesus Christ has left us the sacra
ment of Extreme Unction as a most powerful defence
against the temptations of the devil at the hour of death.
41 Extreme Unctionis sacramento finem vitas tanquam
288 SERMON XXXVIII.
firmissimo quodam prscsidio munivit." And the holy
council adds, that there is no time in which the enemy
combats against us with so much violence in order to
effect our damnation, and to make us despair of the
divine mercy, as at the end of life. " N ullum tempus
est, quo vehementius ille omnes sua3 versutise nervos
intendat at perendos, nos penitus, et a fiducia, etiam, si
possit, divinrc misericordirc deturbandos, quam cum im-
pendere nobis exitum vita) perspicet." (Sess. 14, cap. ix.
Doctr. de Sacr. Extr. Unct.)
6. Oh ! how terrible are the assaults and snares of the
devil against the souls of dyiug persons, even though
they have led a holy life ! After his recovery from a
most severe illness, the holy king Eleazar said, that the
temptations by which the devil assails men at death,
can be conceived only by him who has felt them. We
read in the life of St. Andrew Avelliuo, that in his
agony he had so fierce a combat with hell, that all the
religious present were seized with trembling. They
perceived that, in consequence of the agitation, his face
swelled, and became black, all his members trembled,
and a flood of tears gushed from his eyes. All began
to weep through compassion, and were rilled with terror
at the sight of a saint dying in such a manner. But they
were afterwards consoled, \\hoii they saw that as soon as
an image of most holy Mary was held before him, he
became perfectly calm, and breathed forth his blessed
soul with great joy.
7. Now, if this happens to the saints, what shall
become of poor sinners, who have lived in sin till
death ? At that awful moment the devil does not
come alone to tempt them in a thousand ways, in order
to bring them to eternal perdition, but he calls com
panions to his assistance. " Their house shall be filled
with serpents." (Isa. xiii. 21.) When a Christian is
about to leave this world, his house is filled with devils,
who unite together in order to effect his ruin. " All
her persecutors have taken her in the midst of straits."
(Larnen. i. 3.) All his enemies will encompass him in
the straits of death. One shall say : 13e not afraid ;
you shall not die of this sickness ! Another will say :
You have been for so many years deaf to the calls of
DEATH OF THE SINNER. 289
God, and can you now expect that he will save you ?
AD other will ask: How 'can you repair the frauds of
your past life, and the injuries you have done to your
neighbour in his property and character ? Another shall
ask : What hope can there be for you ? Do you not
see that all your confessions have been null— that they
have been made without true sorrow, and without a firm
purpose of amendment ? How can you repair them with
this heart, which you feel so hard ? Do you not see
that you are lost ? And in the midst of these straits
and attacks of despair, the dying sinner, full of agita
tion and confusion, must pass into eternity. " The people
shall be troubled — and they shall pass." (Job xxxiv
20.)
Third Point. The dying sinner shall be tortured by
the fears of eternal death.
8. Miserable the sick man who takes to his bed in the
state of mortal sin! He that lives in sin till death
shall die in sin. "You shall die in your sin." (John
viii. 21.) It is true that, in whatsoever hour the sinner
is converted, God promises to pardon him ; but to no
sinner has God promised the grace of conversion at the
hour of death. " Seek the Lord while he may be
found." (Isa. Iv. 6.) Then, there is for some sinners a
time when they shall seek God and shall not find him.
' You shall seek me, and shall not find me." (John vii.
34.) The unhappy beings will go to confession at the
hour of death ; they will promise and weep, and ask
mercy of God, but without knowing what they do. A
man who sees himself under the feet of a foe pointing
a dagger to his throat, will shed tears, ask pardon, and
promise to serve his enemy as a slave during the remain
der of his life. But, will the enemy believe him ? No ;
lie will feel convinced that his words are not sincere —
that his object is to escape from his hands, and that,
should he be pardoned, he will become more hostile
than ever. In like manner, how can God pardon
the dying sinner, when he sees that all his acts of
sorrow, and all his promises, proceed not from the
heart, but from a dread of death and of approaching
damnation.
290 SERMOX XXXYIII.
9. In the recommendation of the departing soul, the
assisting priest prays to the Lord, saying : " Recognize, O
Lord, thy creature." But God answers: I know that he
is my creature; but, instead of regarding me as his
Creator, he has treated me as an enemy. The priest
continues his prayer, and says : " Remember not his past
iniquities.5' 1 would, replies the Lord, pardon all the
past sins of his youth ; but he has continued to despise
me till this moment— the very hour of his death.
" They have turned their back upon me, and not their
face: and, in the time of affliction, they will say:
Arise, and deliver us. Where are the gods which thou
hast made thee ? let them rise and deliver thee." (Jer.
ii. 27, 28.) You, says the Lord, have turned your back
upon me till death ; "and do you now want me to deliver
you from vengeance ? Invoke your own gods — the
creatures, the riches, the friends you loved more than
you loved me. Call them now to come to your assist
ance, and to save you from hell, which is open to
receive you. It now justly belongs to me to take
vengeance on the insults you have offered me. You
have despised my threats against obstinate sinners, and
have paid no regard to them. " Revenge is mine, and
I will repay them in due time, that their foot may
slide." (Deut. xxxii. 35.) The time of my vengeance
is now arrived ; it is but just to execute it. This is pre
cisely what happened to a certain person in Madrid,
who led a wicked life, but, at the sight of the unhappy
death of a companion, went to confession, and resolved
to enter a strict religious order. But, in consequence
of having neglected to put his resolution into immediate
execution, he relapsed into his former irregularities.
Being reduced to great want, he wandered about the
world, and fell sick at Lima. From the hospital in
which he took refuge he sent for a confessor, and pro
mised again to change his life, and to enter religion.
But, having recovered from his illness, he returned to
his wickedness ; and, behold ! the vengeance of God
fell upon him. One day, his confessor, who was a
missionary, in passing over a mountain, heard a noise,
which appeared to be the howling of a wild beast. He
drew near the place from which the noise proceeded,
DEATH OF THE SINNER. 291
and saw a dying man, half rotten, and howling through
despair. He addressed to him some words of consola
tion. The sick man, opening his eyes, recognized the
missionary, and said : Have you, too, come to he a wit
ness of the justice of God ? I am the man who made
my confession in the hospital of Lima. I then promised
to change my life, but have not done so ; and now I die
in despair. And thus the miserable man, amid these
acts of despair, breathed forth his unhappy soul. These
facts are related by Father Charles Eovio (part iii.,
example 9).
10. Let us conclude the discourse. Tell me, bre
thren, were a person in sin seized with apoplexy, and
instantly deprived of his senses, what sentiments of
pity would you feel at seeing him die in this state ;
without the sacraments, and without signs of repent
ance ! Is not he a fool, who, when he has time to be
reconciled with God, continues in sin, or returns to his
sins, and thus exposes himself to the danger of dying
suddenly, and of dying in sin ? " At what hour you
think not," says Jesus Christ, " the Son of Man will
come," (Luke xiii. 40.) An unprovided death, which
has happened to so many, may also happen to each of
us. And it is necessary to understand, that all who
lead a bad life, meet with an unprovided death, though
their last illness may allow them some time to prepare
for eternity ; for the days of that mortal illness are
days of darkness — days of confusion, in which it is
difficult, and even morally impossible, to adjust a con
science burdened with many sins. Tell me, brethren,
if you^were now at the point of death, given over by
physicians, and in the last agony, how ardently would
you desire another month, or another week, to settle
the accounts you must render to God I And God gives
you this time. He calls you, and warns you of the
danger of damnation to which you are exposed. Give
yourself, then, instantly to God. What do you wait
for ? Will you wait till he sends you to hell ? " Walk
whilst you have light." (John xii. 35.) Avail yourselves
of this time and this light, which God gives you at this
moment, and now, while it is in your power, repent of
all your past sins ; for, a time shall come when you will
292 SERMON XXXIX.
"be no longer able to avert the punishment which they
deserve.
[I entreat my reader to read Sermon xliv., or the
Sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, on the
practical death, or that which practically happens at the
death of men of the world. I know by experience that
though it does notcontain Latin texts, whenever I preached
that sermon, it produced a great impression, and left the
audience full of terror. A greater impression is made by
practical than by speculative truths.]
SERMON XXXIX.— TENTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the efficacy and necessity of prayer.
" 0 God, be merciful to me a sinner."— LUKE xviii. 13.
IN this day's gospel we read, that two men, one a Pharisee
and the other a Publican, went to the temple. ^ Instead
of bowing down to beg of God to assist him by his graces,
the Pharisee said : I thank thee, O Lord, that I atn not
as the rest of men, who are sinners. ^ " Deus gratias ago
tibi, quia non sum sicut cocteri homines." But the Pub
lican, tilled with sentiments of humility, cried out : " O
God, be merciful to me, a sinner." St. Luke tells us,
that this Publican returned to his house justified ; and
that the Pharisee went home as guilty and as proud as
when he entered the temple. From this, most beloved
brethren, you may infer how pleasing to God, and how-
necessary for us, are our humble petitions to obtain from
the Lord all the graces which are indispensable for sal
vation. In this sermon I will show, in the first point,
the efficacy of prayer : and in the second, the necessity
of prayer.
Firxt Point. On the efficacy of prayer.
1. To understand the efficacy and value of our
prayers, we need only consider the great promises which.
God has made to every one who prays. "Call upon
EFFICACY AND NECESSITY OF PRAYER. 293
me, and I will deliver thee." (Ps. xlix. 15.) Call upon
me, and I will save you from every danger. " He shall
cry to me, I will hear him." (Ps. xc. 15.) "Cry to me,
and I will hear thee." (Jer. xxxiii. 3.) "You shall
ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you."
(John xv. 7.) Ask whatsoever you wish and it shall
le given to you. There are a thousand similar passages
in the Old and New Testaments. By his nature God
is, as St.^ Leo says, goodness itself. " Deus cujus natura
bonitas." Hence he desires, with a great desire, to
make us partakers of his own good. St. Mary Magda
lene de Pazzi used to say, that when a soul prays to God
for ^ any grace, he feels in a certain manner under an
obligation to her, and thanks her ; because by prayer
the soul opens to him a way of satisfying his desire to
dispense his graces to us. Hence, in the holy Scriptures,
the Lord appears to recommend and inculcate to us
nothing more forcibly than to ask and pray. To show
this, the words which we read in the seventh chapter of
St. Matthew are sufficient. " Ask, and it shall be given
you ; seek, and you shall find ; knock, and it shall be
opened to you" (vii. 7). St. Augustine teaches, that
by these promises God has bound himself to grant all
that we ask in prayer. " By his promises he has made
himself a debtor." (De Verb. Dom. Serm. ii.) And, in
the fifth sermon, the saint says, that if the Lord did not
wish to bestow his graces upon us, he would not exhort
us so strenuously to ask them. "He would not exhort
us to ask, unless he wished to give." Hence we see that
the Psalms of David and the Books of Solomon and of
the Prophets are full of prayers.
2. Theodoret has written, that prayer is so efficacious
before God, that, " though it be one, it can do all things."
" Oratio cum sit una, omnia potest." St. Bernard
teaches, that when we pray, the Lord, if he does not
give the grace we ask, will grant a more useful gift.
" He will give either what we ask, or what he knows to
be more profitable to us." (Serm. v. in Fer. 4 cm.) And
whom has God, when asked for aid, ever despised by
not listening to his petition ? " Who hath called upon
him, and he despised him ?" (Eccl. ii. 12.) The Scripture
says, that among the nations there is none that has gods
294: SERMON XXXIX.
so willing to hear our prayers, as our true God.
" Neither is there any other nation so great, that hath
gods so nigh to them, as our God is present to all our
petitions." (Deut. iv. 7.) The princes of the earth,
says St. Chrysostom, give audience only to a few ; but
God grants it to every one that wishes for it. " Aures
principis paucis patent, Die vero omnibus volentibus."
(Lib. 2, de Orat.) David tells us that this goodness of
God in hearing us at whatever time we pray to him,
shows us that he is our true God, whose love for us
surpasses the love of all others. " In what day soever
I shall call upon thee, behold I know thou art my God."
(Ps. Iv. 10.) He wishes and ardently desires to confer
favours upon us ; but he requires us to pray for them.
Jesus Christ said one day to his disciples : " Hitherto
you have not asked anything in my name ; ask, and you
shall receive, that your joy may be full." (John xvi.
24.) As if he said : You complain of me for not making
you perfectly content ; but you ought to complain of
yourselves for not having asked of me all the gifts you
stood in need of ; ask, henceforth, whatsoever you want,
and your prayer shall be heard. Many, says St.
Bernard complain that the Lord is wanting to them.
But he complains with more justice that they are
wanting to him, by neglecting to ask him for his graces.
" Omnes nobis causamur deesse gratiam, sed justius
forsitan ista sibi queritur deesse nonnullos." (S. Bern,
de Trip]. Cust.)
3. The ancient fathers, after having consulted to
gether about the exercise most conducive to salvation,
came to the conclusion, that the best means of securing
eternal life is, to pray continually, saying : Lord, assist
me ; Lord, hasten to my assistance. " Incline unto my
aid, 0 God ; 0 Lord, make haste to help me." Hence
the holy Church commands these two petitions to be
often repeated in the canonical hours by all the clergy
and by all religious, who pray not only for themselves,
but also for the whole Christian world. St. John
Climacus says, that our prayers as it were compel God
by a holy violence to hear us. " Prayer piously does
violence to God." Hence, when we pray to the Lord,
lie instantly answers by bestowing upon us the grace
EFFICACY AND NECESSITY OF PRAYER. 295
we ask. " At the voice of thy cry, as soon as he shall
hear, he will answer thee." (Isa. xxx. 19.) Hence St.
Ambrose says, that " he who asks of God, receives while
he asks." (Ep. Ixxxiv., ad Demetr.) And he not only
grants his grace instantly, but also abundantly, giving
us more than we pray for. St. Paul tells us that God is
rich — that is, liberal of his graces to every one that prays
to him. « Rich unto all that call upon him." (Rom. x.
12.) And St. James says : " If any of you want wisdom
let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abundantly
and upbraideth not/' (St. James i. 5.) " He upbraideth
not;" when we pray to him he does not reproach us with
the insults we have offered to him, but he appears then
to forget all the injuries we have done him, and to delight
in enriching us with his graces.
Second Point On the necessity of prayer.
4. " God," as St. Paul has written, " will have all
men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the
truth." (1 Tim. ii. 4.) According to St. Peter, he does
not wish any one to be lost. " The Lord dealeth pa
tiently for your sake, not willing that any soul should
perish, but that all should return to penance." (1 Pet.
iii. D.) Hence St. Leo teaches, that as God wishes us to
observe his commands, so he prevents us by his assist
ance, that we may fulfil them. " Juste instat praccepto
qui pra3currit auxilio." (Serm. xvi. de Pass.) And St.
Thomas, in explaining the words of the Apostle, " God,
who will have all men to be saved," says : *k Therefore,
grace is wanting to no one ; but he, on his part, commu
nicates it to all." (In Epist, ad Hebr., cap. xii., lect. 3.)
And in another place the holy doctor writes: " To pro
vide every man with the means necessary for his salva
tion, provided on his part he puts no obstacle to it,
belongs to Divine Providence." But, according to
Gennadius, the assistance of his grace the Lord grants
only to those who pray for it. " We believe. . . .that no
one works out his salvation but by God's assistance ; and
that he only who prays merits aid from God." (de Eccle^.
Uogm.) And St. Augustine teaches, that, except the
first graces of vocation to the faith and to repentance,
all other graces, and particularly the grace of perseve-
290 SERMON XXXIX.
ranee, are granted to those only who ask them. " It is
evident that God gives some graces, such as the begin
ning of faith, without prayer — and that he has prepared
other graces, such as perseverance to the end — only for
those who pray." (Dc dono persev., c.xvi.) And in another
place he writes, that " God wishes to bestow his favours ;
but he gives them only to those who ask." (In Ps. c.)
5. Hence theologians commonly teach, after St. Basil,
St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, Clement of Alex
andria, and others, that, for adults prayer is necessary
as a means of salvation ; that is, that without prayer it
is impossible for them to be saved. This doctrine may
be inferred from the following passages of Scripture :
"We ought always to pray." (Luke xviii. 1.) "Ask,
and you shall receive." (John xvi. 24.) " Pray without
ceasing." (1 Thess. v. 17.) The words ^cc ought, ask,
pray, according to St. Thomas (3 part, qu. xxxix. art. 5)
and the generality of theologians, imply a precept which
obliges, under grievous sin, particularly in three cases:
First, when a man is in the state of sin ; secondly, when
he is in great danger of falling into sin ; and, thirdly,
when he is in danger of death. Theologians teach, that
he who, at other times, neglects prayer for a month, or
at most for two months, cannot be excused from mortal
sin ; because, without prayer we cannot procure the
helps necessary for the observance of the law of God.
St. Chrysostom teaches that as water is necessary to pre
vent trees from withering, so prayer is necessary to save
us from perdition. " -Non ninus quam arbores aquis,
precibus indigcmus." (Tom. l,hom. Ixxvii.)
6. Most groundless was the assertion of Jansenius,
that there are some commands, the fulfilment of which
is impossible to us, and that we have not even grace to
render their observance possible. For, the Council of
Trent teaches, in the words of St. Augustine, that,
though man is not able, with the aid of the grace ordi
narily given, to fulfil all the commandments, still he
can, by prayer, obtain the additional helps necessary for
their observance. " God does not command impossibi
lities ; but, by his precepts, he admonishes you to do
what you can, and to ask what you cannot do ; and he
assists you, that you may be able to do it." (Sess. 6, cap.
EFFICACY AND NECESSITY OF PRAYER. 297
xi.) To this may be added another celebrated passage
of St. Augustine : " By our faith, which teaches that
God does not command impossibilities, we are admon
ished what to do in things that are easy, and what to
ask in things that are difficult." (Lib. de Nat. et Grat.,
cap. Ixix., n. 83.)
7. But why does God, who knows our weakness, per
mit us to be assailed by enemies which we are not able
to resist ? The Lord, answers the holy doctor, seeing
the great advantages which we derive from the necessity
of prayer, permits us to be attacked by enemies more
powerful than we are, that we may ask his assistance.
Hence they who are conquered cannot excuse themselves
toy saying that they had not strength to resist the assault
of the enemy ; for had they asked aid from God, he
should have given it ; and had they prayed, they should
have been victorious. Therefore, if they are defeated,
God will punish them. St. Bonaventure says, that if a
general lose a fortress in consequence of not having
sought timely succour from his sovereign, he shall be
branded as a traitor. " Reputaretur infidelis, nisi ex-
pectaret a rege auxilium." (S. Bon. Difet. tit, c. v.)
Thus God regards as a traitor the Christian who, when
lie finds himself assailed by temptations, neglects to seek
the divine aid. " Ask," says Jesus Christ, " and you
shall receive." Then, concludes St. Teresa, he that does
not ask does not receive. This is conformable to the
doctrine of St. James: " You have not, because you do
not ask." (St. James iv. 2.) St. Chrysostom says, that
prayer is a powerful weapon of defence against all
enemies. " Truly prayer is a great armour." (Horn,
xli., ad Pop.) St. Ephrem writes, that he who fortifies
himself beforehand by prayer, prevents the entrance of
sin into the soul. " If you pray before you work, the
passage into the soul will not be open to sin." (Serm. de
•Orat.) David said the same : " Praising I will call upon
the Lord, and I shall be saved from my enemies." (Ps.
xvii. 4.)
8. If we wish to lead a good life, and to save our
souls, we must learn to pray. " He," says St. Augus
tine, " knows how to live well who knows how to pray
well." (Horn, xliii.) In order to obtain God's graces by
298 SERMON XXXIX.
prayer, it is necessary, first, to take away sin ; for God
does not hear obstinate sinners. For example : if a
person entertains hatred towards another, and wishes to
take revenge, God does not hear his prayer. " When
you multiply prayer, I will not hear ; for your hands are
full of blood." (Isa. i. 15.) St. Chrysostom says, that
he who prays while he cherishes a sinful affection, does
not pray, but mocks God. " Qui orat et peccat, non.
rogat Deum sed illudit." (Ilom. xi., in Matt, vi.) But
if he ask the Lord to take away hatred from his heart,
the Lord will hear him. Secondly, it is necessary to
pray with attention. Some imagine that they pray by
repeating many Our Fathers, with such distraction that
they do not know what they say. These speak, but do
not pray. Of them the Lord says, by the Prophet
Isaias : " With their lips they glorify me, but their
hearts are far from me." (Isa. xxix. 13.) Thirdly, it is
necessary, as the Holy Ghost exhorts us, to take away
the occasions which hinder us to pray. " Let nothing
hinder thee from praying always." (Eccl. xviii. 22.) He
who is occupied in a thousand affairs unprofitable to the
soul, places a cloud before his prayers, which prevents
their passing to the throne of grace. " Thou hast set a
cloud before thee, that our prayer may not pass
through." (Lamen. iii. 44.) I will not omit here the
exhortation of St. Bernard, to ask graces of God through
the intercession of his divine mother. " Let us ask
grace, and ask it through Mary ; for she is a mother,
and her prayer cannot be fruitless." (Serm. de Aqscd.)
St. Anselm says: "Many things are asked of God and
are not obtained : what is asked of Mary is obtained, not
because she is more powerful, but because God decreed
thus to honour her, that men may know that she caa
obtain all things from God."
VICE OF SPEAKING IMMODESTLY. 299
SEEMON XL.— ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the vice of speaking immodestly.
"He touched his tongue, .... and the string of his tongue was
loosed." — MARK vii. 33, 35.
IN this day's gospel St. Mark relates tlie miracle which
our Saviour wrought in healing the man that was dumb
by barely touching his tongue. " He touched his tongue
and the string of his tongue was loosed." From.
the last words we may infer that the man was not
entirely dumb, but that his tongue was not free, or that
his articulation was not distinct. Hence St. Mark tells
us, that after the miracle he spoke right. Let us make
the application to ourselves. The dumb man stood in
need of a miracle to loose his tongue, and to take away
the impediment under which he laboured. But how
many are there on whom God would confer a great
grace, if he bound their tongues, that they might cease
to speak immodestly ! This vice does great injury to
others. Secondly, it does great injury to themselves.
These shall be the two points of this sermon.
First Point. The man who speaks immodestly does
great injury to others who listen to him.
1. In explaining the 140th Psalm, St. Augustine calls
those who speak obscenely " the mediators of Satan,"
the ministers of Lucifer ; because, by their obscene
language, the demon of impurity gets access to souls,
which by his own suggestions he could not enter. Of
their accursed tongues St. James says: "And the tongue
is a fire,... being set on fire by hell." (James iii. 6.) He
says that the tongue is a fire kindled by hell, with
which they who speak obscenely burn themselves and
others. The obscene tongue may be said to be the
tongue of the third person, of which Ecclesiasticus
says : " The tongue of a third person hath disquieted
many, and scattered them from nation to nation." (Eccl,
300 SKRMOX XL.
xxviii. 16.) The spiritual tongue speaks of God, the
worldly tongue talks of worldly affairs ; but tlie tongue
of a third person is a tongue of hell, which speaks of the
impurities of the flesh ; and this is the tongue that per
verts many, and brings them to perdition.
2. Speaking of the life of men on this earth, the
Royal Prophet says: "Let their way become dark and
slippery." (Ps. xxxiv. 0.) In this life men walk in the
midist of darkness and in a slippery way. Hence they
are in danger of falling at every step, unless they cau
tiously examine the road on which they walk, and care
fully avoid dangerous steps — that is, the occasions of
sin. Now, if in treading this slippery way, frequent
efforts were made to throw them down, would it not be
a miracle if they did not fall ? " The Mediators of
Satan," who speak obscenely, impel others to sin, who,
as long as they live on this earth, walk in the midst of
darkness, and as long as they remain in the flesh, are in
danger of falling into the vice of impurity. Now, of
those who indulge in obscene language, it has been well
snid : " Their throat is an open sepulchre." (Ps. v. 11.)
The mouths of those who can utter nothing but filthy
obscenities are, according to St. Chrysostom, so many
open sepulchres of putrified carcasses. " Talia sunt ora
hominum qui turpia proferunt." (Horn, ii., de Proph. Obs.)
The exhalation which arises from the rottenness of a
multitude of dead bodies thrown together into a pit,
communicates infection and disease to all who feel the
stench.
3. " The stroke of a whip," says Ecclesiasticus,
" maketh a blue mark ; but the stroke of a tongue will
break the bones." (Eccl. xxviii. 21.) The wounds of
the lash are wounds of the flesh, but the wounds of the
obscene tongue are wounds which infect the bones of
those who listen to its language. St. Bernardino of
Sienna relates, that a virgin who led a holy life, at hear
ing an obscene word from a young man, fell into a bad
thought, and afterwards abandoned herself to the vice of
impurity to such a degree that, the saint says, if the
devil had taken human flesh, he could not have com
mitted so many sins of that kind as she committed.
4. The misfortune is, that the mouths of hell that
VICE OF SPEAKING IMMODESTLY. 301
frequently utter immodest words, regard them, as trifles,
and are careless about confessing them : and when
rebuked for them they answer : " I say these words in
jest, and without malice." In jest ! Unhappy man,
these jests make the devil laugh, and shall make you
weep for eternity in hell. la the first place, it is useless
to say that you utter such words without malice ; for,
when you use such expressions, it is very difficult for
you to abstain from acts against purity. According to
St. Jerome, " He that delights in words is not far from
the act/' Besides, immodest words spoken before
persons of a different sex, are always accompanied with
sinful complacency. And is not the scandal you give
to others criminal? Utter a single obscene word, and
you shall bring into sin all who listen to you. Such is
the doctrine of St. Bernard. " One speaks, and he
Titters only one word ; but he kills the souls of a multi
tude of hearers." (Serm. xxiv., in Cant.) A greater sin
than if, by one discharge of a blunderbuss, you mur
dered many persons ; because you would then only kill
their bodies : but, by speaking obscenely, you have
killed their souls.
5. In a word, obscene tongues are the ruin of the
world. One of them does more mischief than a hun
dred devils ; because it is the cause of the perdition of
many souls. This is not my language ; it is the lan
guage of the Holy Ghost. " A slippery mouth worketh
ruin." (Prov. xxvi. 28.) And when is it that this havoc
of souls is effected, and that such grievous insults arc
offered to God ? It is in the summer, at the time when
God bestows upon you the greatest temporal blessings.
It is then that he supplies you for the entire year with
corn, wine, oil, and other fruits of the earth. It is then
that there are as many sins committed by obscene words,
as there are grains of corn or bunches of grapes. O
ingratitude ! How does God bear with us ? And who
is the cause of these sins ? They who speak immodestly
are the cause of them. Hence they must render an
account to God, and shall be punished for all the sins
committed by those who hear them. "But I will
require his blood at thy hand." (Ezec. iii. 11.) But let
us pass to the second point.
302
SKRMOX XL.
Second Point. He who speaks immodestly does great
ID jury to himself.
6. Some young men say : " I speak without malice."
In answer to this excuse, I have already said, in the first
point, that it is very difficult to use immodest language
without taking delight in it ; and that speaking ob
scenely hefore young females, married or unmarried, is
always accompanied with a secret complacency in what
is said. Besides, by using immodest language, you
expose yourself to the proximate danger of falling into
unchaste actions : for, according to St. Jerome, as we
have already said, " he who delights in words is not far
from the act." All men are inclined to evil. "The
imagination and thought of man's heart are prone to
evil." (Gen. viii. 21.) But, above all, men are prone to
the sin of impurity, to which nature itself inclines them.
Hence St. Augustine has said, that in struggling against
that vice " the victory is rare," at least for those who
do not use great caution. " Communis pugna et rara
victoria." Now, the impure objects of which they speak
are always presented to the mind of those who freely
utter obscene words. These objects excite pleasure, and
bring them into sinful desires and morose delectations,
and afterwards into criminal acts. Behold the conse
quence of the immodest words which young men say
they speak without malice.
7. "Be not taken in thy tongue," says the Holy
Ghost. (Eccl. v. 1C.) Beware lest by your tongue you
forge a chain which will drag you to hell. " The
tongue," says St. James, " defileth the whole body, and
inflameth the wheel of our nativity." (St. James'iii. 6.)
The tongue is one of the members of the body, but
when it utters bad words it infects the whole body, and
" inflames the wheels of our nativity ;" it inflames and
corrupts our entire life from our birth to old age.
Hence we see that men who indulge in obscenity,
cannot, even in old age, abstain from immodest lan
guage^ In the life of St. Valerius, Surius relates that
the saint, in travelling, went one day into a house to
warm himself. He heard the master of the house and
a judge of the district, though both were advanced in
years, speaking on obscene subjects. The saint re-
VICE OF SPEAKING IMMODESTLY. 303
proved them severely ; but they paid no attention to his
rebuke. However, God punished both of them : one
became blind, and a sore broke out on the other, which
produced deadly spasms. Henry Gragerman relates (in
Magn. Spec., dist. 9, ex. 58), that one of those obscene
talkers died suddenly and without repentance, and that
he was afterwards seen in hell tearing his tongue in
pieces ; and when it was restored he began again to
lacerate it.
8. But how can God have mercy on him who has no
pity on the souls of his neighbours ? " Judgment
without mercy to him that hath not done mercy." (St.
James ii. 13.) Oh ! what a pity to see one of those
obscene wretches pouring out his filthy expressions
before girls and young married females ! The greater
the number of such persons present, the more abomin
able is his language. It often happens that little boys
and girls are present, and he has no horror of scandaliz
ing these innocent souls ! Cantipratano relates that the
son of a certain nobleman in Burgundy was sent to be
educated by the monks of Cluni. He was an angel of
purity ; but the unhappy boy having one day entered
into a carpenter's shop, heard some obscene words spoken
by the carpenter's wile, fell into sin, and lost the divine
grace. Father Sabitano, in his work entitled " Evan
gelical Light," relates that another boy, fifteen years old,
having heard an immodest word, began to think of it
the following night, consented to a bad thought, and
died suddenly the same night. His confessor having
heard of his death, intended to say Mass for him. But
the soul of the unfortunate boy appeared to him, and
told the confessor not to celebrate Mass for him — that,
by means of the word he had heard, he was damned — •
and that the celebration of Mass would add to his pains.
O God ! how great, were it in their power to weep,
would be the wailing of the angel-guardians of these
poor children that are scandalized and brought to hell
by the language of obscene tongues! "With what
earnestness shall the angels demand vengeance from
God against the author of such scandals ! That the
angels shall cry for vengeance against them, appears
from the words of Jesus Christ : " See that you despise
304 SERMON XL.
not one of these little ones ; for I say to you, that their
angels in heaven always see the face of my Father."
(Matt, xviii. 10.)
9. Be attentive, then, my "brethren, and guard your
selves against speaking immodestly, more than you would
against death. Listen to the advice of the Holy Ghost :
" Make a balance for thy words, and a just bridle for thy
mouth ; and take heed lest thou slip with thy tongue —
and thy fall be incurable unto death." (Eccl. xxvhi. 29,
30.) " Make a balance" — you must weigh your words
before you utter them — and " a bridle for thy mouth" —
when immodest words come to the tongue, you must
suppress them ; otherwise, by uttering them, you shall
inflict on your own soul, and on the souls of others, a
mortal and incurable wound. God has given you the
tongue, not to offend him, but to praise and bless him.
" But/' says St. Paul, " fornication and all uncleanness,
let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh
saints." (Ephes. v. 3.) Mark the words " all unclean-
ness." We must not only abstain from obscene language
and from every word of double meaning spoken in jest,
but also from every improper word unbecoming a
saint — that is, a Christian. It is necessary to
remark, that words of double meaning sometimes do
greater evil than open obscenity, because the art with
which they are spoken makes a deeper impression on,
the mind.
] 0. Keflcct, says St. Augustine, that your mouths are
the mouths of Christians, which Jesus Christ has so
often entered in the holy communion. Hence, you
ought to have a horror of uttering all unchaste words,
which are a diabolical poison. " See, brethren, if it be
just that, from the mouths of Christians, which the
body of Christ enters, an immodest song, like diabolical
poison, should proceed." (Serm. xv., de Temp.) St. Paul
says, that the language of a Christian should be always
seasoned with salt. " Let your speech be always in
grace, seasoned with salt.'' (Col. iv. 6.) Our conversa
tion should be seasoned with words calculated to excite
others not to offend, but to love God. " Happy the
tongue," says St. Bernard, " that knows only how to
speak of holy things !" Happy the tongue that knows
VICE OF SPEAKING IMMODESTLY. 305
only how to speak of God ! 0 brethren, be careful not
only to abstain from all obscene language, but to avoid,
as you would a plague, those who speak immodestly.
When you hear any one begin to utter obscene words,
follow the advice of the Holy Ghost : " Hedge in thy
ears with thorns: hear not a wicked tongue." (Eccl.
xxviii. 28.) "Hedge in thy ears with thorns"— that is,
reprove with zeal the man who speaks obscenely ; at least
turn away your face, and show that you hate such language.
Let us not be ashamed to appear to be followers of Jesus
Christ, unless we wish Jesus Christ to be ashamed to
bring us with him into Paradise.
SERMON XLL— TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the abuse of divine mercy.
" Take care of him." — LUKE x. 35.
IN this day's gospel we read, that a certain man fell into
the hands of robbers, who, after having taken his
money, wounded him, and left him half dead. A
Samaritan who passed by, saw him, and taking pity on
him, bound up his wounds, brought him to an inn, and
left him to the care of the host, saying : " Take care of
him." These words I this day address to those, if there
be any such among you, who, though their souls are
wounded by sin, instead of attending to the care of
them, continually aggravate the wounds by new sins,
and thus abuse the mercy of God, who preserves their
lives, that they may repent, and not be lost for ever. I
say to you : Brethren, take care of your souls, which are
in a very bad state ; have compassion on them. " Have
pity on thy own soul." (Eccl. xxx. 24.) Your souls are
sick, and— what is worse — they are near the eternal
death of hell ; for he who abuses to excess the divine
mercy, is on the point of being abandoned by the
mercy of God. This shall be the subject of the present
discourse.
^ 1. St. Augustine says that the devil deludes Chris
tians in two ways—" by despair and hope." After a
306 SKKMON XLI.
person has committed sin, the enemy, by placing before
his eyes the rigour of divine justice, tempts him to despair
of the mercy of God. But, before he sins, the devil by
representing to him the divine mercy, labours to make
him fearless of the chastisement due to sin. Hence the
saint gives the following advice : " After sin, hope for
mercy ; before sin, fear justice." If, after sin, you
despair of God's pardon, you offend him by a new and
more grievous sin. Have recourse to his mercy, and he
\vill pardon you. But, before sin, fear God's justice, and
trust not to his mercy ; for, they who abuse the mercy
of God to offend him, do not deserve to be treated with
mercy. Abulensis says, that the man who offends justice
may have recourse to mercy; but to whom can they have
recourse, who offend and provoke mercy against them
selves ?
2. When you intend to commit sin, who, I ask, pro
mises you mercy from God ? Certainly God does not
promise it. It is the devil that promises it, that you may
lose God and be damned. " Beware," says St. John
Chrysostom, '• never to attend to that dog that promises
thee mercy from God." (Horn. 50, ad Pop.) If, beloved
sinners, you have hitherto offended God, hope and
tremble : if you desire to give up sin, and if you detest
it, hope ; because God promises pardon to all who repent
of the evil they have done. But if you intend to continue
in your sinful course, tremble lest God should wait no
longer for you, but cast you into hell. Why does God
•wait for sinners ? Is it that they may continue to insult
him ? No ; he waits for them that they may renounce
sin, and that thus he may have pity on them, and forgive
them. " Therefore the Lord waiteth, that he may have
mercy on you." (Isa. xxx. 1, 8.) But when he sees that
the time which he gave them to weep over their past ini
quities is spent in multiplying their sins, he begins to
inflict chastisement, and he cuts them off in the state of
sin, that, by dying, they may cease to offend him. Then
he calls against them the very time he had given them
for repentance. " He hath called against me the time."
(Lam. i. 15.) " The very time/' says St. Gregory,
" comes to judge."
3. 0 common illusion of so many damned Christians !
ABUSE OF DIVINE MERCY. 307
We seldom find a sinner so abandoned to despair as to
say : I will damn myself. Christians sin, and endeavour
to save their souls. They say: " God is merciful : I will
commit this sin, and will afterwards confess it." Behold
the illusion, or rather the snare, by which Satan draws
so many souls to hell. " Commit sin," he says, " and
confess it afterwards." But listen to what the Lord says :
" And say not, the mercy of the Lord is great ; he will
have mercy on the multitude of my sins." (Eccl. v. 6.)
"YY'hy does he tell you not to say, that the mercy of God
is great ? Attend to the words contained in the follow
ing verse : "For mercy and wrath come quickly from
him, and his wrath looketh upon sinners." (Ibid., ver. 7.)
The mercy of God is different from the acts of his mercy;
the former is infinite, the latter are finite. God is mer
ciful, but he is also just. St. Basil says, that sinners
only consider God as merciful and ready to pardon, but
not as just and prepared to inflict punishment. Of this
the Lord complained one day to St. Bridget: "I am just
and merciful: sinners regard me only as merciful." St.
Basil's words are : tf Bonus est Dominus sed etiam Justus,
nolimus Deum ex dimidia parte cogitare." God is just,
and, being just, he must punish the ungrateful. Father
John Avila used to say, that to bear with those who avail
themselves of the mercy of God to offend him, would not
be mercy, but a want of justice. Mercy, as the divine
mother said, is promised to those who fear, and not to
those who insult the Lord. fi And his mercy to them that
fear him." (Luke i. .50.)
4. Some rash sinners will say : God has hitherto
shown me so many mercies ; why should he not here
after treat me with the same mercy ? I answer : he will
show you mercy, if you wish to change your life ; but
if you intend to continue to offend him, he tells you
that he will take vengeance on your sins by casting you
into hell. "Revenge is mine, and I will repay them in
due time, that their foot may slide." (Deut. xxxii. 35.)
David says, that " except you be converted, he will
"brandish his sword." (Ps. vii. 13.) The Lord has bent
his bow, and waits for your conversion; but if you
resolve not to return to him, he will in the end cast the
arrow against you, and you shall be damned. 0 God I
308 SERMON XLI.
there are some who will not believe that there is a hell
until they fall into it. Can you, beloved Christians,
complain of the mercies of God, after he has shown you
so many mercies by waiting for you so long ? You
ought to remain always prostrate on the earth to thank
him for his mercies, saying : " The mercies of the Lord
that we are not consumed." (Lamen. iii. 32.) Were the
injuries which you offered to God committed against a
brother, he would not have borne with you. God has
had so much patience with you ; and he now calls you
again. If, after all this, he shall send you to hell, will
he do you any wrong ? " What is there," he will say,
" that I ought to do more for my vineyard, that I have
not done to it ?" (Isa. v. 4.) Impious wreich ! what
more ought I to do for you that I have not done ?
5. St. Bernard says, that the confidence which sinners
have in God's goodness when they commit sin, procures
for them, not a blessing, but a malediction from the
Lord. " Est infidelis fiducia solius ubique maledictionis
capax, cum videlicet in spe peccamus." (Serin, iii., de
Ammnc.) O deceitful hope, which sends so many
Christians to hell! St. Augustine says: "Sperant, ut
pcccent ! Vrc a perversa spe." (In Ps. cxliv.) They do
not hope for the pardon of the sins of which they
repent; but they hope that, though they continue to
commit sin, God will have mercy upon them ; and thus
they make the mercy of God serve as a motive for con
tinuing to offend him. 0 accursed hope ! hope which
is an abomination to the Lord ! " And their hope the
abomination/' (Job xi. 20.) This hope will make God
hasten the execution of his vengeance; for surely a
master will not defer the punishment of servants who
offend him because he is good. Sinners, as St. Augus
tine observes, trusting in God's goodness, insult him,
and say: "God is good; I will do what I please.''
(Tract, xxxiii. in Joan.) But, alas ! how many, exclaims
the same St. Augustine, has this vain hope deluded !
" They who have been deceived by this shadow of vain
hope cannot be numbered." St. Bernard writes, that
Lucifer's chastisement was accelerated, because, in
rebellion against God, he hoped that he should not be
punished lor his rebellion. Ainmoii, the son of king.
ABUSE OF DIVINE MERCY. 309
IVIanasses, seeing that God had pardoned the sins of his
father, gave himself up to a wicked life with the hope
of pardon ; but, for Ammon there was no mercy. St.
John Chrysostom says, that Judas was lost because,
trusting in the goodness of Jesus Christ, he betrayed
him. " Fidit in lenitate Magistri."
6. He that sins with, the hope of pardon, saying : " I
will afterwards repent, and God will pardon me :" is,
according to St. Augustine, " not a penitent, but a
scoffer." The Apostle tells us that "God is not
mocked." (Gal. vi. 7.) It would be a mockery of God
to offend him as often and as long as you please, and
always to receive the pardon of your offences. " For
what things a man shall sow," says St. Paul, "those also
shall he reap." (Ibid., ver. 8.) They who sow sins, can
hope for nothing but the hatred of God and hell.
" Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and patience,
and long-suffering." (Rom. ii. 4.) Do you, O sinner,
despise the riches of the goodness, of the patience, and
long-suffering of God towards you ? He uses the word
riches, because the mercies which God shows us, in not
punishing our sins, are riches more valuable to us than
all treasures. " Knowest thou not/' continues the
Apostle, "that the benignity of God leadeth thee to
penance ?" (Ibid.) Do you not know that the Lord
waits for you, and treats you with so much benignity,
not that you may continue to sin, but that you may
weep over the offences you have offered to him ? For,
says St. Paul, if you persevere in sin and do not repent,
your obstinacy and impenitence shall accumulate a trea
sure of wrath against the day of wrath, that is, the day
on which God shall judge you. "According to thy
hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up wrath,
against the day of wrath, and revelation of the just
judgment of God." (Ibid., verse 5.)
7. To the hardness of the sinner shall succeed his
abandonment by God, who shall say of the soul that is
obstinate in sin, what he said of Babylon : " We would
have cured Babylon ; but she is not healed ; let us
forsake her." (Jer. li. 9.) And how does God abandon
the sinner? He either sends him a sudden death, and
cuts him off in sin, or he deprives him of the graces
310 SERMON XLI.
which would be necessary to bring him to true repent
ance ; he leaves him with the sufficient graces with
which he can, but will not, save his soul. The darkness
of his understanding, the hardness of his heart, and the
bad habits which he has contracted, will render his
conversion morally impossible. Thus, he shall not be
absolutely but morally abandoned. " I will take away
the hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted." (Isa. v. 5.)
When the master of the vineyard destroys its hedges,
does he not show that he abandons it ? It is thus that
God acts when he abandons a soul. He takes away
the hedge of holy fear and remorse of conscience, and
leaves the soul in darkness, and then vices crowd into
the heart. " Thou hast appointed darkness, and it is
night: in it shall all the beasts of the wood go about.'*
(Ps. ciii. 20.) And the sinner, abandoned in an abyss of
sins, will despise admonitions, excommunications, divine
grace, chastisement, and hell : he will make a jest of his
own damnation. " The wicked man, when he is come
into the depth of sin, contemneth." (Prov. xviii. 3.)
8. " Why," asks the Prophet Jeremias, " doth the
way of the wicked prosper?" (Jer. xii. 1.) He answers :
" Gather them together as sheep for a sacrifice." (v. 3.)
Miserable the sinner who is prosperous in this life!
The prosperity of sinners is a sign that God wishes to
give them a temporal reward for some works which are
morally good, but that he reserves them as victims of
his justice for hell, where, like the accursed cockle, they
shall be cast to burn for all eternity. "In the time of
the harvest, I will say to the reapers: Gather up the first
cockle, and bind it in bundles to burn." (Matt. xiii. DO.)
9. Thus, not to be punished in this life is the greatest
of God's chastisements on the wicked, and has been
threatened against the obstinate sinner by the Prophet
Isaias. " Let us have pity on the wicked, but he will
not learn justice." (Isa. xxvi. 10.) On this passage St.
Bernard says: This mercy I do not wish for: it is above
all wrath. " Misericordiam hanc nolo; super oimiem
iram misericordia ista." (Serin, xlii., in Cant.) And
what greater chastisement than to be abandoned into the
Lands of sin, so that, being permitted by God to fall
from sin to sin, the sinner must in the end go to suffer
ABUSE OF DIVINK MERCY. 311
as many hells as he has committed sins ? " Add thou
iniquity upon their iniquity. .. .let them he "blotted out
of the book of the living." (Ps. Ixviii. 28, 29.) On these
words Bellarmine writes : " There is no punishment
greater than when sin is the punishment of sin." It
would be better for such a sinner to die after the first
sin ; because by dying under the load of so many addi
tional iniquities, he shall suffer as many hells as he has
committed sins. This is what happened to a certain
comedian in Palermo, whose name was Ca3sar. He one
day told a friend that Father La JSTusa, a missionary,
foretold him that God should give him twelve years to
live, and that if within that time he did not change his
life, he should die a bad death. Now, said he to his
friend, I have travelled through so many parts of the
world : I have had many attacks of sickness, one of
which nearly brought me to the grave ; but in this
month the twelve years shall be completed, and I feel
myself in better health than in any of the past years.
He then invited his friend to listen to a new comedy
which he had composed. But, what happened ? On
the 24th November, 1688, the day fixed for the comedy,
as he was going on the stage, he was seized with apo
plexy, and died suddenly. He expired in the arms of a
female comedian. Thus the scene of this world ended
miserably for him.
10. Let us make the application to ourselves, and
conclude the discourse. Brethren, I entreat you to give
a glance at all the bygone years of your life : look at
the grievous offences you have committed against God,
and at the great mercies which he has shown to you,
the many lights he has bestowed upon you, and the
many times he has called you to a change of life. By
this sermon he has to-day given you a new call. He
appears to me to say to you : *' What is there that I
ought to do to my vineyard, that I have not done to
it ?" (Isa. v. 4.) What more ought I to do for you that
I have not done? What do you say ? What answer
have you to make ? Will you give yourselves to God,
or will you continue to offend him ? Consider, says St.
Augustine, that the punishment of your sins has been
deferred, not remitted. " 0 unfruitful tree ! the axe
312 SEKMON XL1.
has been deferred. Be not secure : you shall be cut
off." If you abuse the divine mercy, you shall be cut
off ; vengeance shall soon fall upon you. What do you
wait for ? Do you wait till God sends you to hell ?
The Lord has been hitherto silent ; but he is not silent
for ever. When the time of vengeance shall arrive he
will say : " These things hast thou done, and I was
silent. Thou thoughtest unjustly that I should be like
to thee : but I will reprove thee, and set before thy
face.'' (Ps. xlix. 21.) He will set before your eyes the
graces which he bestowed upon you, and which you
have despised : these very graces shall judge and con
demn you. 0 brethren, resist no longer the calls of
God ; tremble lest the call which he gives you to-day
may be the last call for you. Go to confession as soon
as possible, and make a firm resolution to change your
lives. It is useless to confess your sins, if you after
wards return to your former vices. But you will per
haps say, that you have not strength to resist the
temptations by which you are assailed. Listen to the
words of the Apostle: " God is faithful, who will not
permit you to be tempted above that which you are
able." (1 Cor. x. 13.) God is faithful: he will not per
mit you to be tempted above your strength. And if of
yourself you have not strength to overcome the devil,
ask it from God, and he will give it to you. " Ask,
and you shall receive." (John xvi. 24.) "Praising,"
said David, " I will call on the Lord, and I shall be
saved from my enemies." (Ps. xvii. 4.) And St. Paul
said : " I can do all things in him who strengthened
me." (Phil. iv. 13.) Of myself I can do nothing ; but
with the divine assistance I can do all things. Recom
mend yourselves to God in all temptations, and God will
enable you to resist them, and you shall not fall.
AVOIDING BAD COMPANY. 313
SEEMON LXIL— THIRTEENTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
On avoiding bad company.
'" There met him ten men that were lepers... As they went, they
were made clean." — LUKE xvii. 12, 14.
IN this day's gospel it is related, that ten lepers of a
certain town met Jesus Christ, and entreated him to
heal the leprosy under which they laboured. The Lord
bid them go and present themselves to the priests of the
temple ; but before they reached the temple they were
cured. Now it may be asked why our Saviour, who
could heal them in an instant, wished them to go to the
priests, and healed them on the way. A certain author
(Anthony of Lisbon) says that Jesus Christ foresaw
that, had he cured them on the spot, they, by remaining
in the place and conversing with the other lepers, from
whom they took the leprosy, should easily relapse into
the same disease. Therefore, he first wished them to
depart from the place and then healed them. What
ever may be thought of this reason, let us come to the
moral sense which may be deduced from it. The leprosy
resembles sin. As the leprosy is a contagious disease,
so the bad habits of the wicked infect others who asso
ciate with them. Hence, the leper who wishes to be
cured shall never be healed unless he separates from
bad companions. He that keeps company with robbers
soon becomes a thief. In this discourse I shall show,
that, to lead a good life, it is necessary to avoid bad
companions.
1. "A friend of fools," says the Holy Ghost, "shall
become like them." (Prov. xiii. 20.) Christians who
live in enmity with God are, Father M. Avila used to
say, all fools, who deserve to be shut up in a mad-house.
For, what greater madness can be conceived than to
believe in hell and to live in sin ? But the man who
contracts an intimacy with these fools shall soon be
come like them. Although he should hear all the
314 SERMOX LXII.
sermons of the sacred orators, lie will continue in vice,
according to the celebrated maxim: " Examples make
greater impressions than words." Hence the Royal
Prophet has said : " With the elect thou wilt be elect,
and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted." (Ps.
xvii. 27.) St. Augustine says, that familiarity with
sinners is as it were a hook which draws us to commu
nicate in their vices. Let us, said the saint, avoid
wicked friends, " lest by their company we may be
drawn to a communion of vice." St. Thomas teaches,
that to know whom we should avoid is a great means of
saving our souls. •' Firma tutela salutis est, sciro quern
fugiamus."
2. " Let their way become dark and slippery, and let
the angel of the Lord pursue them." (Ps. xxxiv. 6.)
All men in this life walk in the midst of darkness and
in a slippery way. If, then, a bad angel — that is, a
wicked companion, who is worse than any devil —
pursue them, and endeavour to drive them into an
abyss, who shall be able to escape death ? " Talis eris,"
says Plato, " qualis conversatio quam sequeris ?" And
St. John Chrysostom said, that if we wish to know a
man's moral habits, we have only to observe the charac
ter of the friends with whom he associates ; because
friendship finds or makes him like his friends. " Vis
nosse hominem, attende quorum familiaritate assuescat :
amicitia aut pares invenit, aut pares fecit." First,
because, to please his friends, a man will endeavour to
imitate them ; secondly, because, as Seneca says, nature
inclines men to do what they see others do. And the
Scripture says : *' They were mingled among the heathens,
and learned their works." (Ps. cv. 35.) According to
St. Basil, as air which comes from pestilential places
causes infection, so, by conversation with bad com
panions, we almost imperceptibly contract their vices.
" Quemadmodum in pestilentibus locis sensim attractus
aer latentem corporibus morbuin injicit sic itidem in
prava couversatione maxima a nobis mala hauriuntur,
etiamsi statim incommodum non sentiatur." (St. Bas.,
horn, ix., ex var. quod Deus, etc.) And St. Bernard
says that St. Peter, in consequence of associating with
the enemies of Jesus Christ, denied his Master.
AVOIDING BAD COMPANY. 315
" Existens cum passionis dominicso ministris, Doininum,
negavit."
3. But how, asks St. Ambrose, can bad companions
give you the odour of chastity, when they exhale the
stench of impurity ? How can they infuse into you
sentiments of devotion when they themselves fly from
it ? How can they impart to you a shame of offending
God, when they cast it away ? " Quid tibi demonstrant
castitatem, quern non habent ? Devotionem quam non
sequuntur ? Verecundiam quam projiciunt?" St. Augus
tine writes of himself, that when he associated with
bad companions, who boasted of their wickedness, he
felt himself impelled to sin without shame ; and to
appear like them, he gloried in his evil actions. " Pu-
debat," he says, " me esse pudentem." (Lib. 2, de Conf.,
c. ix.) Hence Isaias admonishes you to " touch no un
clean thing." (Isa. lii. 11.) Touch not what is unclean:
if you do, you too shall be polluted. He that handles
pitch, says Ecclesiasticus, shall certainly be denied with
it ; and they who keep company with the proud shall
be clothed with pride. The same holds for other vices :
" He that toucheth pitch shall be denied with it ; and
he that hath fellowship with the proud shall put on
pride." (Eccl. xiii. 1.)
4. What then must we do ? The Wise Man tells us
that we ought not only to avoid the vices of the wicked,
but also to beware of treading in the ways in which
they walk. " Restrain thy foot from their paths."
(Prov. i. 15.) That is, we should avoid their conversa
tions, their discourses, their feasts, and all the allure
ments and presents with which they will seek to entice
us into their net. " My son," says Solomon, "if sinners
shall entice thee, consent not to them." (Prov. i. 10.)
Without the decoy, birds are not enticed into the
fowler's net. " Will the bird fall into the snare upon
the earth if there be no fowler ?" (Amos iii. 5.) The
devil employs vicious friends as decoys, to draw so many
souls into the snare of sin. " My enemies," says Jere-
mias, " have chased me, and have caught me like a
bird without cause." (Lamen. iii. 52.) He says, without
cause. Ask the wicked why they have made a certain
innocent young man fall into sin, and they will answer :
316 SERMON XIYII.
We have done it without cause ; we only wish to see
him do what we ourselves do. This, says St. Ephrem,
is one of the artifices of the devil : when he has caught
a soul in his net, he makes him a snare, or a decoy, to
deceive others. " Cum primum capta fuerit, anima, ad
alias decipiendas fit quasi laqueus."
5. Hence, it is necessary to avoid, as you would a
plague, all familiarity with those scorpions of hell. I
have said that you must avoid familiarity with them —
that is, all fellowship in their banquets or conversation ;
for never to meet them is, as the Apostle says, impos
sible. " Otherwise you must needs go out of this world."
(1 Cor. v. 10.) But, it is in our power to abstain from
familiar intercourse with them. " But now I have
written to you not to keep company, etc. — with such a
one, not so much as to eat." (Ibid. v. 11.) I have
called them scorpions : so they have been called by the
Prophet Ezechiel. " Thou art among unbelievers and
destroyers, and thou dwellest among scorpions." (Ezec.
ii. 6 ) Would you live in the midst of scorpions ? You
must, then, fly from scandalous friends, who, by their
bad examples and words, poison your soul. " A man's
enemies shall be they of his own household." (Matt. x.
36.) Wicked friends, that are very familiar and intimate
with us, become the most pernicious enemies of our
souls. " Who," says Ecclesiasticus, " will pity an
enchanter struck by a serpent, or any that come near
wild beasts ? So it is with him that keepeth company
with a wicked man." (Eccl. xii. 13.) If the man that
makes free with serpents, or with ferocious wild beasts,
be bitten or devoured by them, who will take pity on
him ? And so it is with him who associates with scan
dalous companions ; if, by their bad example he be
contaminated and lost, neither God nor man will have
compassion on him ; because he was cautioned to fly
from their society.
6. One scandalous companion is enough to corrupt
all who treat him as a friend. " Know you not," says
St. Paul, " that a little leaven corrupts the whole lump ?"
(1 Cor. v. 7.) One of these scandalous sinners is able,
by a perverse maxim, to infect all his companions.
They are the false prophets whom Jesus Christ warns
AVOIDING BAD COMPANY. 317
us to avoid. "Beware of false prophets." (Matt. vii. 15 )
False prophets deceive, not only by false predictions,
but also by false maxims or doctrines, which are pro-
ductive of the greatest mischief. For, as Seneca says,
they leave in the soul certain seeds of iniquity which
lead to evil. " Semina in animo relinqueunt, quse in-
ducunt ad malum." It is too true that scandalous lan
guage, as experience proves, corrupts the morals of
those who hear it. "Evil communications," says the
Apostle, corrupt good manners/' (1 Cor xv 63.) A
young man refuses, through the fear of God, to commit
a certain sin : an incarnate devil, a bad companion
comes and says to him what the serpent said to Eve:'
No ; you shall not die the death." (Gen. iii. 4.) What
are you afraid of ? How many others commit this sin ?
You are young; God will have pity on your youth.
They will as is written in the book of Wisdom, say •
Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are
present—let us everywhere leave tokens of joy (li 6 9)
Come with us ; let us spend our time in amusement and
in joy. " 0 mmis imqua amicitia," says St. Augustine,
cum dicitur, eamus, facimus : pudet non esse irnpul
oentum O cruel friendship of those who say • let us
go and do etc. : it is a shame not to be shameless. Ho
who hears such language is ashamed not to yield to it
and not be as shameless as they who utter it
7. When any passion is kindled within us, we must
be particularly careful in selecting the persons whom we
will consult. .For, then the passion itself will incline us
to seek counsel from those who will probably give the
advice which is most agreeable to the passion. But
from such evil counsellors, who do not speak according
to God, we should fly with greater horror than from an
enemy; for their evil counsel, along with the passion
which is excited, may precipitate us into horrible
excesses. As soon as the passion shall subside we shall
see the error committed, and the delusion into which we
have been led by false friends. But the good advice of
a friend, who speaks according to Christian truth and
meekness preserves us from every disorder, and restores
calm to the soul.
8. " Depart from the unjust," says the Lord, « and
318 SERMON XL1I.
evils shall depart from thee." (Eccl. vii. 2.) Fly,
separate from wicked companions, and you shall cease
to commit sin. " Neither let the way of evil men please
thee. Flee from it: pass not by it: go aside and forsake
it." (Prov. iv. 14, 15.) Avoid the ways in which these
vicious friends walk, that you may not even meet them.
" Forsake not an old friend ; for the new will not be like
to him." (Eccl. ix. 14.) Do not leave your first friend,
who loved you before you came into the world. " I
have loved thee with an everlasting love." (Jer. xxxi. 3.)
Your new friends do not love you ; they hate you more
than your greatest enemy : they seek not your welfare,
as God, does, but their own pleasures, and the satisfac
tion of having companions of their wickedness and
perdition. You will, perhaps, say : I feel a repugnance
to separate from such a friend, who has been solicitous
for my welfare ; to break off from him would appear to
be an act of ingratitude. What welfare ? What
ingratitude ? God alone wishes your welfare, because
he desires your eternal salvation. Your friend wishes
your eternal ruin ; he wishes you to follow him, but
cares not if you be damned. It is not ingratitude to
abandon a friend who leads you to hell ; but it is ingra
titude to forsake God, who has created you, who has died
for you on the cross, and who desires your salvation.
9. Fly then from the conversation of these wicked
friends. " Hedge in thy ears with thorns, hear not a
wicked tongue." (Eccl. xxviii. 28.) Beware of listening
to the language of such friends ; their words may bring
you to perdition. And when you hear them speak
improperly arm yourself with thorns, and reprove them,
not only for the purpose of rebuking, but also of con
verting them. " Ut non solum," says St. Augustine,
" repellantur sed etiam compungantur." Listen to a
frightful example, and learn the evil which a wicked
friend does. Father Sabatino relates in his "Evangelical
Light/' that two friends of that kind were one day
together. One of them, to please the other, committed
a sin ; but after they had separated he died suddenly.
The other, who knew nothing of his death, saw, in his
sleep, his friend, and, according to his custom, ran to
embrace him. But the deceased appeared to be sur-
ALL ENDS, AND SOON ENDS. 319
rounded with, fire, and began to blaspheme the other, and
to upbraid him for being the cause of his damnation.
The other awoke and changed his life. But his unhappy
friend was damned ; and for his damnation there is not,
and shall not be, any remedy for all eternity.
SERMON XLIIL— FOURTEENTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
All ends, and soon ends.
" The grass of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into
the oven." — MATT. vii. 30.
BEHOLD ! all the goods of the earth are like the grass of
the field, which to-day is blooming and beautiful, but in
the evening it withers and loses its flowers, and the next
day is cast into the fire. This is what God commanded
the Prophet Isaias to preach, when he said to him :
" Cry. And I said : What shall I cry ? All flesh is
grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field."
(Isa. xl. 6.) Hence St. James compares the rich of this
world to the flower of grass : at the end of their journey
through life they rot, along with all their riches and
pomps. " The rich. . . .because as the flower of the
grass shall he pass away. For the sun rose with a
burning heat, and parched the grass, and the flower
thereof fell off, and the beauty of the shape thereof
perished : so also shall the rich man fade away in his
ways." (St. James i. 10, 11.) They fade away and are
cast into the fire, like the rich glutton, who made a
splendid appearance in this life, but afterwards " was
buried in hell." (Luke xvi. 22.) Let us, then, dearly
beloved Christians, attend to the salvation of our souls,
and to the acquisition of riches for eternity, which
never ends ; for everything in this world ends, and ends
very soon.
First Point. Everything ends.
1. When one of the great of this world is in the full
320 SERMON XLIII.
enjoyment of the riches and honours which he has
acquired, death shall come, and he shall he told: "Take
order with thy house ; for thou shalt die, and not live."
(Isa. xxxviii. 1.) Oh! what doleful tidings! The un
happy man must then say: Farewell, 0 world! farewell,
O villa ! farewell, 0 grotto ! farewell, relatives ! fare
well, friends ! farewell, sports ! farewell, balls ! farewell,
comedies ! farewell, banquets ! farewell, honours ! all is
over for me. There is no remedy : whether he will or
not, he must leave all. " For when he shall die, he
shall take nothing away ; nor shall his glory descend
with him." (Ps. xlviii. 18.) St. Bernard says, that
death produces a horrible separation of the soul from the
body, and from all the things of this earth. ^ " Opus
mortis horrendum divortium." (Serm. xxvi., in Cant.)
To the great of this world, whom worldlings regard as
the most fortunate of mortals, the bare name of death is
so full of bitterness, that they are unwilling even to hear
it mentioned ; for their entire concern is to find peace in
their earthly goods. " O death !" says Ecclesiasticus,
" how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that
hath peace in his possessions/' (Eccl. xli. 1.) But how
much greater bitterness shall death itself cause when
it actually comes — miserable the man who is attached to
the goods of this world ! Every separation produces
pain. Hence, when the soul shall be separated by the
stroke of death from the goods on which she had fixed
all her affections, the pain must be excruciating. It
was this that made king Agag exclaim, when the
news of approaching death was announced to him :
"Doth bitter death separate me in this manner?" (I
Kings xv. 32.) The great misfortune of worldlings is,
that when they are on the point of being summoned to
judgment, instead of endeavouring to adjust the
accounts of their souls, they direct all their attention to
earthly things. But, says St. John Chrysostom, the
punishment which awaits sinners, on account of having
forgotten God during life, is that they forget themselves
at the hour of death. " Hac animadversione percutitur
impius, ut moriens obliviscatur sui, qui vivens oblitus
est Dei."
2. But how great soever a man's attachment to the
ALL ENDS, AND SOON ENDS. 321
things of this world may be, he must take leave of them
at death. Naked he has entered into this world, and
naked he shall depart from it. " Naked," says Job, " I
came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I
return thither." (Job i. 21.) In a word, they who have
spent their whole life, have lost their sleep, their health,
and their soul, in accumulating riches and possessions'
shall take nothing with them at the hour of death : their
eyes shall then be opened ; and of all they had so dearly
acquired, they shall find nothing in their hands. Hence,
on that night of confusion, they shall be overwhelmed
in a tempest of pains and sadness. " The rich man,
when he shall sleep, shall take away nothing with him!
He shall open his eyes and find nothing... a tempest
shall oppress him in the night." (Job xxvii. 19, 20.)
St. Antonine relates that Saladin, king of the Saracens,
gave orders at the hour of death, that the winding
sheet in which he was to bo buried should be carried
before him to the grave, and that a person should cry
out : " Of all his possessions, this only shall Saladin
bring with him." The saint also relates that a certain
philosopher, speaking of Alexander the Great after his
death, said: Behold the man that made the earth
tremble. " The earth," as the Scripture says, "was
quiet before him." (1 Mach. i. 3.) He is now under
the earth. Behold the man whom the dominion of the
whole world could not satisfy : now four palms of
ground are sufficient for him. " Qui terram heri con-
culcubat, hodie ab ea conculcatur ; et cui heri non
sufficiebat mundus hodie sufficiunt quatuor ulna? terra)."
St. Augustine, or some other ancient writer, says, that
having gone to see the tomb of Caesar, he exclaimed :
" Princes feared thee ; cities worshipped thee ; all
trembled before thee ; — where is thy magnificence
gone ?" (Serm. xxxviii. ad Fratr.) Listen to what David
says : " I have seen the wicked highly exalted and lifted
up like the cedars of Libanus. And I passed by, and
lo ! he was not." (Ps. xxxvi. 35, 36.) Oh ! how many
such spectacles are seen every day in the world ! A
sinner who had been born in lowliness and poverty,
afterwards acquires wealth and honours, so as to excite
the envy of all. When he dies, every one says : He
x
322 SERMON XLIII.
made a fortune in the world ; but now he is dead, and
with death all is over for him.
3. " Why is earth and ashes proud ?" (Eccl. x. 9.)
Such the language which the Lord addresses to the man
who is puffed up by earthly honours and earthly riches.
Miserable creature, he says, whence comes such pride ?
If you enjoy honours and riches, remember that you are
dust. " For dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt
return." (Gen. iii. 19.) You must die, and after death
what advantage shall you derive from the honours and
possessions which now inflate you with pride ? Go, says
St. Ambrose, to a cemetery, in which are buried the
rich and poor, and see if you can discern among them who
has been rich and who has been poor ; all are naked,
and nothing remains of the richest among them but a
few withered bones. " Respice sepulchra, die mihi, quis
ibi dives, quis pauper sit " (lib. vi. exam., cap. viii).
How profitable would the remembrance of death be to
the man who lives in the world ! " He shall be brought
to the grave, and shall watch in the heap of the dead."
(Job xxi. 32.) At the sight of these dead bodies he
would remember death, and that he shall one day be
like them. Thus, he should be awakened from the
deadly sleep in which perhaps he lives in a state of per
dition. But the misfortune is, that worldlings are un
willing to think of death until the hour comes when they
must depart from this earth to go into eternity ; and
therefore they live as attached to the world, as if they
were never to be separated from it. 13ut our life is short,
and shall soon end : thus all things must end, and must
soon end.
Second Point. All soon ends.
4. Men know well, and believe firmly, that they shall
die ; but they imagine death is far off as if it were never
to arrive. 13ut Job tells us that the life of man is short.
" Man born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled
with many miseries. Who cometh forth like a flower
and is destroyed." (Job xiv. 2.) At present the health
of men is so much impaired, that, as we see by
experience, the greater number of them die before they
attain the age of seventy. And what, says St. James,
ALL ENDS, AND SOON ENDS. 323
is our life but a vapour, which a blast of wind, a fever,
a stroke of apoplexy, a puncture, an attack of the chest,
causes to disappear, and which is seen no more ? " For
what is your life ? It is a vapour which appeareth for
a little while." (St. James iv. 15.) " We all die," said
the woman of Thecua to David, " and like waters that
return no more, we fall down into the earth." (2 Kings
xiv. 14.) She spoke the truth ;— as all rivers and
streams run to the sea, and as the gliding waters return
no more, so our days pass away, and we approach to
death.
5. They pass ; they pass quickly. " My days/' says
Job, "have been swifter than a post." (Job ix. 25.)
Death comes to meet us, and runs more swiftly than a
post ; so that every step we make, every breath we draw,
we approach to death. St. Jerome felt that even while
he was writing he was drawing nearer to death. Hence
he said: " What I write is taken away from my life."
" Quad scribo de mea vita tollitur." Let us, then, say
with Job : Years passed by, and with them pleasures,
honours, pomps, and all things in this world pass away,
" and only the grave remaineth for me." (Job xviii. 1.)
In a word, all the glory of the labours we have undergone
in this world, in order to acquire a large income, a high
character for valour, for learning and genius, shall end
in our being thrown into a pit to become the food of
worms. The miserable worldling then shall say at
death : My house, my garden, my fashionable furniture,
my pictures and rich apparel, shall, in a short time,
belong no more to me ; " and only the grave remaineth
for me."
6. But how much soever the worldling may be dis
tracted by his worldly affairs and by his pleasures-
how much soever he may be entangled in them, St.
Chrysostom says, that when the fear of death, which
sets fire to all things of the present life, begins to enter
the soul, it will compel him to think and to be solicitous
about his lot after death. "Cum pulsare animam
incipit metus mortis (ignis instar prasentis vita3 omnia
succendens) philosophari earn cogit, et futura solicita
mente versari." (Serm. in 2 Tim.) Alas! at the hour
of death "the eyes of the blind shall be opened." (Is*
324 SERMON XLIII.
xxxv. 5.) Then indeed shall he opened the eyes of
those hlind worldlings who have employed their whole
life in acquiring earthly goods, and have paid hut little
attention to the interests of the soul. In all these shall
he verified what Jesus Christ has told them — that death
shall come when they least expect it. " At what hour
you think not the Son of Man will come." (Luke xii.
40.) Thus, on these unhappy men death comes unex
pectedly. Hence, because the lovers of the world are
not usually warned of their approaching dissolution till
it is very near, they must, in the last lew days of life,
adjust the accounts of their soul for the fifty or sixty
years which they lived on this earth. They will then
desire another month, or another week, to settle their
accounts or to tranquillize their conscience. But " they
will seek for peace, and there shall he none." (Ezec. vii.
25.) The time which they desire is refused. The assis
tant priest reads the divine command to depart instantly
from this world. " Proficiscere, anima Christian! de hoc
mundo/' " Depart, Christian soul, from this world."
Oh ! how dangerous the entrance of worldlings into eter
nity, dying, as they do, amid so much darkness and con
fusion, in consequence of the disorderly state of the
accounts of their souls.
7. " Weight and balance are the judgments of the
Lord." (Piov. xvi. 11.) At the tribunal of God, nobility,
dignities, and riches have no weight ; two things only—
our bins, and the graces bestowed on us by God — make
the scales ascend or descend. They who shall be found
faithful in corresponding with the lights and calls
which they have received, shall be rewarded ; and they
who shall be found unfaithful, shall be condemned.
We do not keep an account of God's graces ; but the
Lord keeps an account of them ; he measures them ;
and when he sees them despised to a certain degree, he
leaves the soul in her sins, and takes her out of life in
that miserable state. " For what things a man shall
sow those also shall he reap." (Gal. vi. 8.) From
labours undertaken for the attainment of posts of
honour and emolument, for the acquisition of property
and of worldly applause, we reap nothing at the hour
of death : all are then lost. We gather fruits of eternal
ALL ENDS, AND SOON ENDS. 325
life only from works performed, and tribulations suffered
for God.
8. Hence, St. Paul exhorts us to attend to our own
business. "But we must entreat you, brethren....
that you do your own business." (1 Thess. iv. 10, 11.)
Of what business, I ask, does the Apostle speak ? Is it
of acquiring riches, or a great name in the world?
No ; he speaks of the business of the soul, of which
Jesus Christ spoke, when he said: "Trade till I come."
(Luke xix. 13.) The business for which the Lord has
placed, and for which he keeps us on this earth, is to
save our souls, and by good works to gain eternal life.
This is the end for which we have been created. " And
the end eternal life." (Rom. vi. 22.) The business of
the soul is for us not only the most important, but also
the principal and only affair; for, if the soul be saved,
all is safe ; but if the soul be lost, all is lost. Hence, we
ought, as the Scripture says, to strive for the salvation of
our souls, and to combat to death for justice— that is, for
the observance of the divine law. " Strive for justice
for thy soul, and even unto death fight for justice."
(Eccl. iv. 33.) The business which our Saviour recom
mends to us, saying: Trade till I come, is, to have always
before our eyes the day on which he shall come to de
mand an account of our whole life.
9. All things in this world— acquisitions, applause,
grandeur— must, as we have said, all end, and end very
soon. " The fashion of this world passeth away." (1
Cor. vii. 31.) The scene of this life passes away;
happy they who, in this scene, act their part well, and
save their souls, preferring the eternal interests of tie
soul to all the temporal interests of the body. " He
that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life
eternal." (John xii. 26.) Worldlings say : Happy the
man who hoards up money ! happy they who acquire
the esteem of the world, and enjoy the pleasures of this
life! 0 folly! Happy he who" loves God and saves
his^soul ! The salvation of his soul was the only favour
which king David asked of God. " One thing have I
asked of the Lord, this will I seek after." (Ps. xxvi. 4.)
And St. Paul said, that to acquire the grace of Jesus
Christ which contains eternal life, he despised as dung
326
SERMON XLIII.
all worldly goods. " I count all things as loss — and I
count them as dung, that I may gain Christ." (Phil,
iii. 8.)
1 0. But certain fathers of families will say : I do not
labour so much for myself as for my children, whom I
wish to leave in comfortable circumstances. But I
answer : If you dissipate the goods which you possess,
and leave your children in poverty, you do wrong, and
are guilty of sin. ^ But will you lose your soul in order
to leave your children comfortable ? If you fall into
hell, perhaps they will come and release you from it ?
0 folly ! Listen to what David said : " I have not
seen the just man forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread."
(Ps. xxxvi. 25.) Attend to the service of God; act
according to justice ; the Lord will provide for the
wants of your children ; and you shall save your souls,
and shall lay up that eternal treasure of happiness
which can never be taken from you — a treasure not like
earthly possessions, of which you may be deprived by
robbers, and which you shall certainly lose at death.
This is the advice which the Lord gives you : " But
lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
the rust nor the moth doth consume, and where thieves
do not ^ break through nor steal." (Matt. vi. 20.) In
conclusion, attend to the beautiful admonition which
St. Gregory gives to all who wish to live well and to
gain eternal life. " Sit nobis in intentione aeternitas, in
usu temporalitas." Let the end of all our actions in
this life be, the acquisition of eternal goods ; and let us
use temporal things only to preserve life for the little
time we have to remain on this earth. The saint con
tinues : " Sicut nulla est proportio inter aeternitatem et
nostiac vitae tempus, ita nulla debet esse proportio inter
acternitatis, et hujus, vitae curas." As there is an in
finite distance between eternity and the time of our
life, so there ought to be, according to our mode of
understanding, an infinite distance between the attention
which we should pay to the goods of eternity, which
shall be enjoyed for ever, and the care we take of the
goods of this life, which death shall soon take away
from us.
DEATH OF MEN OF THE WORLD. 327
SERMON XLIY.— FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the practical death, or on what ordinarily happens
at the death of men of the world.
" Behold, a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother."—
LUKE vii. 12.
IT is related in this day's gospel that, going to the city
of Nairn, Jesus Christ met a dead man, the only son of
his mother, who was carried out to be buried. " Behold,
a dead man was carried out." Before we proceed
further, let us stop at these words and remember death.
The holy Church directs her ministers to say to Chris
tians every year, on Ash Wednesday : " Memento homo
quia pulvis es, et in pulverum reverteris." Remember
man, thou art but dust, and into dust thou shalt return.
Oh ! would to God that men had death always before
their eyes ; if they had, they certainly should not lead
such bad lives. Now, beloved brethren, that the remem
brance of death may be impressed upon you, I will this
day place before your eyes the practical death, or a
description of what ordinarily happens at the death of
men of the world, and of all the circumstances attend
ing it. Hence we shall consider, in the first point,
what happens at the time of the last illness : in the
second point, what happens when the last sacraments
are received; and, in the third, what happens at the
time of death.
First Point. What happens at the time of the last
illness.
1. I do not intend in this discourse to speak of a sin
ner who had always lived in habitual sin ; but of a world
ling, who is careless about his salvation, and always
entangled in the affairs of the world, in contracts, enmities,
courtships, and gaming. He has frequently fallen into
mortal sins, and after a considerable time has confessed
them. In a word, he has been a relapsing sinner, and
328 SKHMON XL1V.
has generally lived in enmity with God, or, at least, has
been generally perplexed with grievous doubts of con
science. Let us consider the death of such persons, and
what ordinarily happens at their death.
2. Let us commence at the time at which his last
illness appears. He rises in the morning, he goes out
to look after his temporal affairs ; but while he is
engaged in business, he is assailed by a violent pain
in the head, his legs totter, he feels a cold shivering,
which runs through every member, a sickness of the
stomach, and great debility over the whole body. He
immediately returns home and throws himself on the
bed. His relatives, his wife and sisters, run to him,
and say : " Why have yon retired so early ? Are you un
well ?" He answers : " I feel sick. I am scarcely able
to stand ; I have a great head-ache." " Perhaps/' they
say, " you have got a fever." " It must be so," he replies,
"send for a physician.'' The physician is immediately
sent for. In the meantime the sick man is put to bed,
and there he is seized with a cold fit, which makes him
shiver from head to foot. He is loaded with covering,
but the cold continues for an hour or two, and is suc
ceeded by a burning heat. The physician arrives, asks
the sick man how he feels ; he examines the pulse, and
find he has a severe attack of fever. But, not to alarm
him, the physician says : You have fever : but it is
trifling. Have you given any occasion to it ? The sick
man replies : I went out by night a few days ago, and
caught cold ; or, I dined with a friend, and indulged
my appetite to excess. It is worth nothing, the physi
cian says : it is a fulness of stomach, or more probably
one of these attacks which occur at the change of season.
Eat nothing to-day : take a cup of tea ; be not uneasy ;
be cheerful ; there is no danger. I will see you to
morrow. Oh ! that there was an angel, who, on the
part of God, would say to the physician : What do you
say ? Do you tell me that there is no danger in this
disease ? Ah ! the trumpet of the divine justice has, by
the first symptoms of his illness, given the signal of the
death of this man : for him the time of God's vengeance
has already arrived.
3. The night comes, and the poor invalid gets no
DEATH OF MEN OF THE WORLD. 329
rest. The difficulty of breathing and headache increase.
The night appears to him a thousand years. The light
scarcely dawns when he calls for some of the family.
His relatives come, and say to him : Have you rested
well ? Ah ! I have not been able to close my eyes
during the entire night. O God ! how much do I feel
oppressed ! Oh ! how violent are the spasms in my
head! I feel my temples pierced by two nails. Send
immediately for the physician ; tell him to come as soon
as possible. The physician comes, and finds the fever
increased ; but still he continues to say: " Have courage ;
there is no danger. The disease must take its course.
The fever which accompanies it will make it disappear."
He comes the third day, and finds the sick man worse.
He comes on the fourth day, and symptoms of malignant
fever appear. The taste on the mouth is disagreeable ;
the tongue is black ; every part of the body is restless ;
and delirium has commenced. The physician, finding
that the fever is acute, prescribes purging, bloodletting,
and iced water. He says to the relatives : Ah ! the
sickness is most severe ; I do not wish to be alone. Let
other physicians be called in, that we may have a
consultation. This he says in secret to the relatives,
but not to the sick man — on the contrary, not to
frighten him, he continues to say : " Be cheerful ; there
is no danger."
4. Thus, they speak of remedies, of more physicians,
and of a consultation ; but not a word about confession
or the last sacraments. I know not how such physicians
can be saved. Where the Bull of Pope Pius the Fifth
is in force, they expressly swear, when they receive the
diploma, that, after the third day of his illness, they
will pay^no more visits to any sick man until he has
made his confession. But some physicians do not
observe this oath, and thus so many poor souls are
damned. For, when a sick man has lost his reason, of
what use is confession to him ? He is lost. Brethren,
when you fall sick, do not wait till the physician tells
you to send for a confessor ; send for him of your own
accord ; for physicians, through fear of displeasing a
patient, do not warn him of his danger until they
despair, or nearly despair of his recovery. Thus,
330
SERMON XL1V.
brethren, send first for your confessor — call first for the
physician of the soul, and afterwards for the physician
of the body. Your soul is at stake, eternity is at stake ;
if you err then you have erred for ever ; your mistake
shall be for ever irreparable.
5. The physician, then, conceals from the sick man
his danger ; his relatives do what is still worse — they
deceive him by lies. They tell him that he is better,
and that the physicians give strong hopes of his re
covery. 0 treacherous relatives! 0 barbarous rela
tives, who are the worst of enemies ! Instead of warning
the sick man of his danger (as is their duty, particularly
if they are parents, children, or brothers), that he may
settle the accounts of his soul, they flatter him, they
deceive him, and cause him to die in the state of damna
tion. But, from the pains, oppression, and restlessness
which he feels, from the studied silence of friends who
visit him, and from the tears which he sees in the eyes
of his relatives, the poor invalid perceives that his
disease is mortal. Alas ! he says, the hour of death is
come ; but, through fear of giving me annoyance, they
do not warn me of it.
6. No ; his relatives do not let him know that he is
in danger of death ; but because they attend to their
own interest, about which they are more solicitous than
they are about anything else, they bring in a scrivener,
in the hope that the dying man will leave them a large
portion of his property. The scrivener arrives. Who
is this ? asks the sick man. The relatives answer : He
is a scrivener. Perhaps, for your own satisfaction, you
would like to make your will. Then is my sickness
mortal ? Ami near my end ? JSTo, father, or brother,
they say : we know that there is no necessity for making
a will ; but you must one day make it, and it would be
better to do it now, while you have the full use of all
your faculties. Very well, he replies ; since the scrivener
is come, and since you wish me to do it, I will make
my last will. The scrivener first asks the sick man
in what church he wishes to be buried, in case he
should die. Oh ! what a painful question ! After
choosing the place of his interment, he begins to dis
pose of all his goods. I bequeath such an estate or
DEATH OF MEN OF THE WORLD. 331
farm to my children ; such a house to my brother ; such
a sum of money to a friend ; and such an article of furni
ture to an acquaintance. 0 miserable man, what have
you done ? You have submitted to so much fatigue,
you have burthened your conscience with so many sins,
in order to acquire these goods ; and now you leave them
for ever, and bequeath them to such and such persons.
But there is no remedy ; when death comes we must
leave all things. This separation from all worldly
possessions is very painful to the sick man, whose heart
was attached to his property, his house, his garden, his
money, and his amusements. Death comes, gives the
stroke, and separates the heart from all the objects of its
love. This stroke tortures the sick man with excruciat
ing pain. Ah, brethren ! let us detach our hearts from
the things of this world before death separates us from
them with so much pain, and with such great danger to
our salvation.
Second Point. "What happens at the time in which
the sacraments are received.
7. Behold ! the dying man has made his will. After
the eighth or tenth day of his illness, seeing that he is
daily growing worse, and that he is near his end, one of
his relatives asks : " When shall we send for his confessor?
He has been a man of the world. We know that he has
not been a saint." They all agree that the confessor
should be sent for ; but all refuse to speak to the sick
man on the subject. Hence they send for the parish
priest, or for some other confessor, to make known to
the dying man his danger, and the necessity of receiving
the last sacraments. But this is done only when he
has nearly lost the use of his faculties. The confessor
comes ; he inquires from the family about the state of
the sick man, and the sort of life which he led. He
finds that he has been careless about the duties of reli
gion, and, from the circumstances which he hears, he
trembles for the salvation of the poor soul. Under
standing that the dying man has but a short time to
live, the confessor, first of all, orders the relatives to
leave the room, and to return to it no more. He then
approaches and salutes the sick man. The latter asks :
332
SERMON XLIV.
"Who are you ? I am, replies the confessor, the parish
priest, Father Such-a-one. Do you wish me to do any
thing for you ? Having heard that you had a severe
attack of illness, I have come to reconcile you with your
Creator. Father, I am obliged to you ; but I beg of
you for the present to let me take a little rest ; for I
have got no sleep for several nights, and I am scarcely
able to speak. Recommend me to God.
8. Knowing the dangerous state of the soul and
body of the sick man, the confessor says : We hope
that the Lord and the most holy Virgin will deliver
you from this illness ; but, sooner or later, you must
die. Your illness is very severe. You would do well
to make your confession, and to adjust the affairs of
your soul. Perhaps you have scruples of conscience.
I have come on purpose to calm the troubles of your
mind. Father, I should have to make a long confes
sion ; for my conscience is perplexed and burdened
with sin. At present I am not able to do it. I feel a
lightness in my head, and I can scarcely breathe.
Father, we will see about it to-morrow, at present I am
not able. But who knows what may happen ? Some
attack may come on, which will not leave you time to
make your confession. Father, do not torment me any
longer. I have said that I am not able ; it is impossible
for me to do it. But the confessor, who knows that
there is no hope of recovery, feels himself obliged to
speak more plainly, and says: I think it is my duty to
inform you that your life is about to close. I entreat
you to make your confession : for, perhaps, to-morrow
you shall be dead. Why, father, do you say so ?
Because, replies the confessor, so the physicians have
said. The poor dying man then begins to rage against
the physicians, and against his friends. Ah ! the traitors
have deceived me. They knew my danger, and have
not informed me of it. Ah ! unhappy me ! The con
fessor rejoins, and says : Be not alarmed at the diffi
culties of making your confession : it is enough to
mention the most grievous sins which you remember.
I will assist you. Be not afraid. Begin at once to tell
your sins. The dying man forces himself to commence
his confession ; but his mind is all confusion ; he knows
DEATH OF MEN OF THE WORLD. 333
not where to begin ; he tries to tell his sins, but is not
able to explain himself. He feels but little, and under
stands still less, what the confessor says to him. O
God ! At such a time, and in such a state, worldlings
are obliged to attend to the most important of all
affairs — the affair of eternal salvation ! The confessor
hears, perhaps, many sins, bad habits, injuries done to
the property and character of others, confessions made
with little sorrow and with little purpose of amend
ment. He assists the dying man as well as he can, and,
after a short exhortation, tells him to make an act of
contrition. But, God grant that he may not be as
insensible to sorrow as the sick man who was attended
by Cardinal Bellarmine. When the Cardinal exhorted
him to make an act of contrition, he said : Father, do
not trouble yourself ; these things are too high for me ;
I do not understand them. In the end, the confessor
absolves the dying man; but who knows if God ab
solves him ?
9. After giving him absolution, the confessor says :
Prepare yourself, now, to receive Jesus Christ for your
viaticum. It is now, replies the sick man, four or five
hours after night ; I will communicate in the morning.
No : perhaps in the morning time shall be no more for
you ; you must at present receive the viaticum and
extreme unction. Ah, unhappy me ! the dying man
says ; am I then at the point of death ? He has reason
to say so ; for the practice of some physicians is, to put
off the viaticum till the patient is near his last, and till
he has lost, or nearly lost, his senses. This is a common
delusion. According to the common opinion of theolo
gians, the viaticum ought always to be administered
when there is danger of death. It would be useful here
to observe, that Benedict the Fourteenth, in his fifty-
third Bull (in Euchol. Grace., §. 46, ap. Bullar, torn. 4),
says, that extreme unction may be given whenever the
sick man " labours under a grievous illness." Hence,
whenever the sick can receive the viaticum, they can
also receive the sacrament of extreme unction. It is
not necessary to wait, as some physicians recommend,
till they are near the agony, or till they lose their
senses.
331 SERMON XLIV.
10. Behold ! the viaticum arrives, the sick man hears
the bell. Oh ! how he trembles ! The trembling and
terror increase when he sees the priest coming into the
room with the holy sacrament, a,nd when he beholds
around his bed the torches of those who assisted at the
procession. The priest recites the words of the ritual :
" Accipe frater viaticum corporis Domini nostri Jesu
Christi qui te custodiat ab hoste maligno, et perducat in
vitam rcternum. Amen." Brother, receive the viaticum
of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he may pre
serve you from the wicked enemy, and that he may
bring you to eternal life. He receives the consecrated
host upon his tongue : the priest then gives him a little
water to enable him to swallow it ; for his throat is dry
and parched.
11. The priest afterwards gives the extreme unction ;
and begins by anointing the eyes while he says the
following words : " Per istam sanctam unctionem, et
suam piissimam misericordiam, indulgeat tibi Deus,
quidquid per visum deliquisti." He then anoints the
other senses — the ears, the nostrils, the mouth, the
hands, the feet, and the loins, saying : " Quidquid per
aditum deliquisti per odoratum, per gustum et locuti-
onem, per tactum, per gressum, ct lumborum delectati-
onem." And, during the administration of the extreme
unction, the devil is employed in reminding the sick
man of all the sins he committed by the senses — by the
eyes, the ears, the tongue, the hands ; and says to him :
After so many sins can you expect to be saved ? Oh !
•vyhat terror is then caused by every one of those mortal
sins, which are now called human frailties, and which,
worldlings say, God will not punish ! Now they are
disregarded ; but then every mortal sin shall be a sword
that will pierce the soul with terror. But let us come
to what happens at death.
Third Point. What happens at the time of death.
12. After having administered the sacraments the
priest departs, and leaves the dying man alone. He
feels more terror and alarm after the sacraments than
before he received them ; for he knows that his entire
preparation for them was made in the midst of great
DEATH OF MEN OF THE WORLD. 335
confusion of mind and great uneasiness of conscience.
But the signs of approaching death appear : the sick
man falls into a cold sweat ; the sight grows dim, and
he no longer knows the persons that attend him : he
has lost his speech, and can scarcely breathe. In the
midst of this darkness of death he continues to say :
" Oh ! that I had time, that I had another day, with the
use of my faculties, to make a good confession !" For,
the unhappy man has great doubts about the confession
which he has made: he feels that he was not able to
excite himself to make a true act of sorrow. But, what
time ? what day ? " Time shall be no longer." (Apoc.
x. 6.) ^ The confessor has the book open to announce to
him his departure from this world. "Profiscere, anima
Christiana, de hoc mundo." Depart, Christian soul,
from this world. The dying man continues to say
within himself: " O lost years of my life ! 0 fool that
I have been !" But when does he say this ? When the
scene is about to close for him ; when the oil in the lamp
is just consumed; and when the great moment has
arrived on which his eternal happiness or misery
depends.
13. But behold ! his eyes are petrified ; his body takes
the posture of a corpse ; the extremities, the hands and
feet, have become cold. The agony commences; the
priest begins to recite the prayers for the recommenda
tion of a departing soul. After having read the recom
mendation, he feels the pulse of the dying man, and
feels that it has ceased to beat. Light, he says, imme
diately the blessed candle. O candle ! O candle ! show us
light, now that we have health; for, at the hour of
death, thy light shall serve only to terrify us the more.
But already the breathing of the sick man is not so
frequent; it has begun to fail This is a sign that
death is very near. The assisting priest raises his
voice, and says to the poor man in his agony : Say after
me .^ O God, come to my aid ; have mercy on me. My
crucified Jesus, save me through thy passion. Mother
of God, intercede for me. St. Joseph, St. Michael, the
archangel, my holy angel-guardian, and all ye saints
in Paradise, pray to God for me. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
and Mary, I give you my heart and my soul. But
336 SERMON XLIV.
behold the last signs of death ; the phlegm is confined
in the throat ; the dying man sends forth feeble moans ;
the tears rush from his eyes ; finally he twists the
mouth, he distorts the eyes, he makes a few pauses,
and at the last opening of the mouth, he expires and
dies.
14. The priest then brings a candle to the mouth of
the dead man, to try if he be still alive : he sees that
the flame is not moved, and thence infers that life is
extinct. He says : Requiescat in pace. May he rest in
peace. And turning to the bystanders, announces that
he is dead. " I hope," he adds, " he is gone to heaven."
He is dead, and how has he died ? No one knows
whether he is saved or damned ; but he has died in a
great tempest. Such is the death of those unfortunate
men who, during life, have cared little about God.
" Their souls shall die in a storm." (Job xxxvi. 14.) Of
every one that dies it is usual to say that " he is gone to
heaven." He is gone to heaven if he deserved heaven ;
but, if he merited hell, he has gone to hell. Do all
go to heaven ? Oh ! how few enter into that abode of
bliss !
15. Before the body is cold he is covered with a worn-
out garment ; because it must soon rot with him in the
grave. Two lighted candles are placed in the chamber ;
the curtain of the bed on which the dead man lies is let
down, and he is left alone. The parish priest is sent for,
and requested to come in the morning and take away the
corpse. The priest comes ; the deceased is carried to
the church ; and this is his last journey on this earth.
The priests begin to sing the " De proiundis clamavi ad
te Domine," etc. The spectators, who look at the
funeral as it passes, speak of the deceased. One says :
" He was a proud man." Another : " Oh ! that he
had died ten years ago !" A third : " He was fortu
nate in the world ; he made a great deal of money ! he
had a fine house, but now he takes nothing with him/'
And while they speak of him in this manner he is
burning in hell. He arrives at the church, and is
placed in the middle, surrounded by six candles. Tho
bystanders look at him, but suddenly turn away their
eyes, because his appearance excites horror. The Mass
IMPURITY. 337
is sung for his repose, and after Mass, the " Libera ;"
and the function is concluded with these words : Requi-
esQat in pace — May he rest in peace. May he rest in
peace, if he died in peace with God ; but, if he has died
in enmity with God, what peace — what peace can he
enjoy ? He shall have no peace as long as God shall be
God. The sepulchre is then opened, the corpse is thrown
into it ; the grave is covered with a tombstone ; and he
is left there to rot and to be the food of worms. It is thus
that the scene of this world ends for each of us. His re
latives put on mourning ; but they first divide among
themselves the property which he has left. They shed
an occasional tear for two or three days, and afterwards
forget him. And what shall become of him ? If he be
saved, he shall be happy for ever ; if damned, he must
be miserable for eternity.
SERMON XLY.— SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On impurity.
11 And behold, there was a certain man before him, who had the
dropsy." — LUKE xiv. 2.
THE man who indulges in impurity is like a person
labouring under the dropsy. The latter is so much tor
mented by thirst, that the more he drinks the more
thirsty he becomes. Such, too, is the nature of the
accursed vice of impurity ; it is never satiated. "As,"
says St. Thomas of Yillanova, " the more the dropsical
man abounds in moisture, the more he thirsts ; so, too,
is it with the waves of eternal pleasures." I will speak
to-day of the vice of impurity, and will show, in the
first point, the delusion of those who say that this vice-
is but a small evil ; and, in the second, the delusion of
those who say, that God takes pity on this sin, and that
he does not punish it.
First Point. Delusion of those who say that sins
against purity are not a great evil.
1. The unchaste, then, say that sins contrary to
338 SERMON XLV.
purity are but a small evil. Like " the sow wallowing
in the mire" (" Sus lota in volutabro luti "—2 Pet. ii.
22), they are immersed in their own filth, so that they
do not see the malice of their actions ; and therefore
they neither feel nor abhor the stench of their impurities,
which excite disgust and horror in all others. Can you,
who say that the vice of impurity is but a small evil —
can you, I ask, deny that it is a mortal sin ? If you
deny it, you are a heretic ; for as St. Paul says : "Do
not err. Neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor the
effeminate, etc., shall possess the kingdom of God." (1
Cor. vi. 9.) It is a mortal sin ; it cannot be a small
evil. It is more sinful than theft, or detraction, or tbe
violation of the fast. How then can you say that it is
not a great evil ? Perhaps mortal sin appears to you to
be a small evil ? Is it a small evil to despise the grace
of God, to turn your back upon him, and to lose his
friendship, for a transitory, beastly pleasure ?
2. St. Thomas teaches, that mortal sin, because it is
an insult offered to an infinite God, contains a certain
infinitude of malice. "A sin committed against God
has a certain infinitude, on account of the infinitude of
the Divine Majesty." (S. Thorn., 3 p., q. 1, art. 2, ad. 2.)
Is mortal sin a small evil? It is so great an evil, that
if all the angels and all the saints, the apostles, martyrs,
and even the Mother of God, offered all their merits to
atone for a single mortal sin, the oblation would not be
sufficient. No ; for that atonement or satisfaction would
be finite ; but the debt contracted by mortal sin is infi
nite, on account of the infinite Majesty of God which has
been offended. The hatred which God bears to sins
against purity is great beyond measure. If a lady find
her plate soiled she is disgusted, and cannot eat. Now,
with what disgust and indignation must God, who is
Eurity itself, behold the filthy impurities by which his
iw is violated ? He loves purity with an infinite love ;
and consequently he has an infinite hatred for the sen
suality which the lewd, voluptuous man calls a small
evil. Even the devils who held a high rank in heaven
before their fall disdain to tempt men to sins of the
flesh.
3. St. Thomas says (lib. 5, de Erud. Princ., c. li.),
IMPURITY. 339
that Lucifer, who is supposed to have been the devil
that tempted Jesus Christ in the desert, tempted him to
commit other sins, but scorned to tempt him to offend
against chastity. Is this sin a small evil ? Is it, then,
a small evil to see a man endowed with a rational soul,
and enriched with so many divine graces, bring himself
by the sin of impurity to the level of a brute ? " For
nication and pleasure," says St. Jerome, " pervert the
understanding, and change men into beasts." (In Oseam.,
c. iv.) In the voluptuous and unchaste are literally
verified the words of David : " And man, when he was
in honour, did not understand : he is compared to sense
less beasts, and is become like to them." (Ps. xlviii. 13.)
St. Jerome says, that there is nothing more vile or
degrading than to allow oneself to be conquered by
the flesh. " Nihil vilius quam vinci a carne." Is it a
small evil to forget God, and to banish him from the
soul, for the sake of giving the body a vile satis
faction, of which, when it is over, you feel ashamed ?
Of this the Lord complains by the Prophet Ezechiel :
" Thus saith the Lord God : Because thou hast forgotten
me, and has cast me off behind thy back " (xxiii. 35.)
St. Thomas says, that by every vice, but particularly by
the vice of impurity, men are removed far from God.
" Per luxuriant maxime recedit a Deo." (In Job cap.
xxxi.)
4. Moreover, sins of impurity, on account of their
great number, are an immense evil. A blasphemer
does not always blaspheme, but 'only when he is drunk
or provoked to anger. The assassin, whose trade is to
murder others, does not, at the most, commit more than
eight or ten homicides. But the unchaste are guilty
of an unceasing torrent of sins, by thoughts, by words,
by looks, by complacencies, and by touches ; so that,
when they go to confession they find it impossible to
tell the number of the sins they have committed against
purity. Even in their sleep the devil represents to
them obscene objects, that, on awakening, they may
take delight in them; and because they are made
the slaves of the enemy, they obey and consent to his
suggestions ; for it is easy to contract a habit of this
sin. To other sins, such as blasphemy, detraction,
340 SERA10N XLV.
and murder, men are not prone ; but to this vice nature
inclines them. Hence St. Thomas says, that there is no
sinner so ready to offend God as the votary of lust is, on
every occasion that occurs to him. " Nullus ad Dei
contemptum promptior." The sin of impurity brings in
its train the sins of defamation, of theft, hatred, and of
boasting of its own filthy abominations. Besides, it or
dinarily involves the malice of scandal. Other sins, such
as blasphemy, perjury, and murder, excite horror in
those who witness them ; but this sin excites and draws
others, who are flesh, to commit it, or, at least, to commit
it with less horror.
5. " Totum hominem," says St. Cyprian, " agit in
triumphum libidinis." (Lib. de bono pudic.) By lust the
evil triumphs over the entire man, over his body and
over his soul ; over his memory, filling it with the
remembrance of unchaste delights, in order to make
him take complacency in them ; over his intellect, to
make him desire occasions of committing sin ; over the
will, by making it love its impurities as his last end,
and as if there were no God. "I made," said Job,
u a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much
as think upon a virgin. For what part should God
from above have in me?" (xxxi. 1, 2.) Job was afraid
to look at a virgin, because he knew that if he con
sented to a bad thought God should have no part in
him. According to St. Gregory, from impurity arises
blindness of understanding, destruction, hatred of God,
and despair of eternal life. " De luxuria ccccitas
mentis pirccipitatio, odium Dei, desperatio futuri srcculi
generantur." (S. Greg., Mor., lib. 13.) St. Augustine
says, though the unchaste may grow old, the vice of
impurity does not grow old in them. Hence St.
Thomas says, that there is no sin in which the devil
delights so much as in this sin ; because there is no
other sin to which nature clings with so much tenacity.
To the vice of impurity it adheres so firmly, that the
appetite for carnal pleasures becomes insatiable. " Dia-
bolus dicitur gaudere maxime de peccato Iuxuria3, quia
est maxim 33 adhoorentia}: et difficile ab eo homo eripi
potest ; insatiabilis est enim delectabilis appetitus." (1
X, qu. 73, a. 5, ad. 2.) Go now, and say that the sin
IMPURITY. 341
of impurity is but a small evil. At the hour of death
you shall not say so ; every sin of that kind shall then
appear to you a monster of hell. Much less shall you
say so before the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ, who
will tell you what the Apostle has already told you :
"No fornicator, or unclean, hath inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and God." (Eph. v. 5.) The man
who has lived like a brnte does not deserve to sit with
the angels.
6. Most beloved brethren, let us continue to pray to
God to deliver us from this vice : if we do not, we shall
lose our souls. The sin of impurity brings with it
blindness and obstinacy. Every vice produces darkness
of understanding ; but impurity produces it in a greater
degree than all other sins. " Fornication, and wine,
and drunkenness take away the understanding." (Osee
iv. 11.) Wine deprives us of understanding and reason ;
so does impurity. Hence St. Thomas says, that the
man who indulges in unchaste pleasures, does not live
according to reason. " In nullo procedit secundum
judicium rationis." Now, if the unchaste are deprived
of light, and no longer see the evil which they do, how
can they abhor it and amend their lives ? The Prophet
Osee says, that being blinded by their own mire, they do
not even think of returning to God; because their
impurities take away from them all knowledge of God.
" They will not set their thought to return to their
God ; for the spirit of fornication is in the midst of
them, and they have not known the Lord." (Osee v. 4.)
Hence St. Lawrence Justinian writes, that this sin
makes men forget God. " Delights of the flesh induced
forgetfulness of God." And St. John Damascene
teaches that " the carnal man cannot look at the light
of truth." Thus, the lewd and voluptuous no longer
understand what is meant by the grace of God, by
judgment, hell, and eternity. " Fire hath fallen upon
them, and they shall not see the sun." (Ps. Ivii. 9.)
Some of these blind miscreants go so far as to say,
that fornication is not in itself sinful. They say, that
it was not forbidden in the Old Law ; and in support
of this execrable doctrine they adduce the words of the
Lord to Osee : " Go, take thee a wife of fornication,
342 SERMON XLV.
and have of her children of fornication." (Osee i. 2.)
In answer I say, that God did not permit Osee to
commit fornication ; hut wished him to take for his
wife a woman who had been guilty of fornication : and
the children of this marriage were called children of
fornication, because the mother had been guilty of that
crime. This is, according to St. Jerome, the meaning
of the words of the Lord to Osee. " Idcirco," says the
holy doctor, " Fornicationis appelandi sunt filii, quod
sunt de meretrice generati." But fornication was always
forbidden, under pain of mortal sin, in the Old, as well
as in the New Law. St. Paul says : " No fornicator
or unclean, hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
and of God." (Eph. v. 5.) Behold the impiety to which
the blindness of such sinners carry them ! From this
blindness it arises, that though they go to the sacraments,
their confessions are null for want of true contrition ; for
how is it possible for them to have true sorrow, when
they neither know nor abhor their sins ?
7. The vice of impurity also brings with it obstinacy.
To conquer temptations, particularly against chastity,
continual prayer is necessary. " Watch ye, and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation." (Mark xiv. 38.)
But how will the unchaste, who are always'seeking to be
tempted, pray to God to deliver them from temptation ?
They sometimes, as St. Augustine confessed of himself,
even abstain from prayer, through fear of being heard
and cured of the disease, which they wish to continue.
"I feared," said the saint, "that you would soon hear
and heal the disease of concupiscence, which I wished to
be satiated, rather than extinguished." (Conf., lib. 8,
cap. vii.) St. Peter calls this vice an unceasing sin.
" Having eyes full of adultery and sin that ceaseth not."
(2 Pet. ii. 14.) Impurity is called an unceasing sin on
account of the obstinacy which it induces. Some
person addicted to this vice says : / always confess the
sin. So much the worse ; for since you always relapse
into sin, these confessions serve to make you persevere
in the sin. The fear of punishment is diminished by
saying : / ahcays confess the sin. If you felt that this
sin certainly merits hell, you would scarcely say : I
will not give it up ; I do not care if I ain damned.
IMPURITY.
343
But the devil deceives you. Commit this sin, he says ;
for you afterwards confess it. But, to make a good
confession of your sins, you must have true sorrow of
the heart, and a firm purpose to sin no more. Where
are this sorrow and this firm purpose of amendment,
when you always return to the vomit? If you had
had these dispositions, and had received sanctifying
grace at your confessions, you should not have relapsed,
or at least you should have abstained for a consider
able time from relapsing. You have always fallen back
into sin in eight or ten days, and perhaps in a shorter
time, after confession. What sign is this ? It is a sign
that you were always in enmity with God. If a sick
man instantly vomits the medicine which he takes, it is
a sign that his disease is incurable.
8. St. Jerome says, that the vice of impurity, when
habitual, will cease when the unhappy man who in
dulges in it is cast into the fire of hell. " 0 infernal
fire, lust, whose fuel is gluttony, whose sparks are brief
conversations, whose end is hell." The unchaste be
come like the vulture that waits to be killed by the
fowler, rather than abandon the rottenness of the dead
bodies on which it feeds. This is what^ happened to a
young female, who, after having lived in the habit of
sin with a young man, fell sick, and appeared to be
converted. At the hour of death she asked leave of
her confessor to send for the young man, in order to
exhort him to change his life at the sight of her death.
The confessor very imprudently gave the permission,
and taught her what she should say to her accomplice
in sin. But listen to what happened. As soon as she
saw him, she forgot her promise to the confessor and
the exhortation she was to give to the young man.
And what did she do ? She raised herself up, sat in
bed, stretched her arms to him, and said : Friend, I
have always loved you, and even now, at the end of my
life, I love you : I see that, on your account, I shall go
to hell : but I do not care : I am willing, for the love of
you, to be damned. After these words she fell back on
the bed and expired. These facts are related by Father
Segneri (Christ. Istr. Bag., xxiv., n. 10.) Oh ! how
difficult is it for a person who has contracted a habit of
344 SERMON XLV.
this vice, to amend his life and return sincerely to God !
how difficult is it for him not to terminate this habit in
hell, like the unfortunate young woman of whom I have
just spoken.
Second Point. Illusion of those who say that God
takes pity on this sin.
9. The votaries of lust say that God takes pity on
this sin ; hut such is not the language of St. Thomas
of Yillanova. He says, that in the sacred Scriptures
\ve do not read of any sin so severely chastised as the
sin of impurity. " Luxuriic facinus pro) aliis punitum
legimus." (Serm. iv., Dom. 1, Quadrag.) We find in the
Scriptures, that in punishment of this sin, a deluge of
fire descended from heaven on four cities, and, in an
instant, consumed not only the inhabitants, but even
the very stones. " And the Lord rained upon Sodom
and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of
heaven. And he destroyed these cities, and all things
that spring from the earth." (Gen. xix. 24.) St. Peter
Damian relates, that a man and a woman who had
sinned against impurity, were found burnt and black as
a cinder.
10. Salvian writes, that it was in punishment of the
sin of impurity that God sent on the earth the universal
deluge, which was caused by continued rain for forty
days and forty nights. In this deluge the waters rose
fifteen cubits above the tops of the highest mountains ;
and only eight persons along with Noah were saved in
the ark. The rest of the inhabitants of the earth, who
were more numerous then than at present, were pun
ished with death in chastisement of the vice of im
purity. Mark the words of the Lord in speaking of
this chastisement which he inflicted on that sin : " My
spirit shall not remain in man for ever ; because he is
flesh." (Gen. vi. 3.) "That is," says Liranus, "too
deeply involved in carnal sins." The Lord added :
" For it repenteth me that I made man." (Gen. vi. 7.)
The indignation of God is not like ours, which clouds
the mind, and drives us into excesses : his wrath is a
judgment perfectly just and tranquil, by which God
punishes and repairs the disorders of sin. But to make
IMPURITY. 345
us understand the intensity of his hatred for the sin of
impurity, he represents himself as if sorry for having
created man, who offended him so grievously by this
vice. "We, at the present day, see more severe temporal
punishment inflicted on this than on any other sin.
Go into the hospitals, and listen to the shrieks of so
many young men, who, in punishment of their impuri
ties, are obliged to submit to the severest treatment
and to the most painful operations, and who, if they
escape death, are, according to the divine threat, feeble,
and subject to the most excruciating pain for the
remainder of their lives. " Thou — hast cast me off
behind thy back ; bear thou also thy wickedness and
thy fornications." (Ezec. xxiii. 35.)
11. St. Remigius writes that, if children.be excepted,
the number of adults that are saved is few, on account
of the sins of the flesh. " Exceptis parvulis ex adultis
propter vitiam carnis pauci salvantur." (Apud S. Cypr.
de bono pudic.) In conformity with this doctrine, it was
revealed to a holy soul, that as pride has filled hell with
devils, so impurity fills it with men. (Col., disp. ix., ex.
192.) St. Isidore assigns the reason. He says that
there is no vice which so much enslaves men to the
devil as impurity. " Magis per luxuriam, humanum
genus subditur diabolo, quam per aliquod aliud." (S.
lad., lib. 2, c. xxxix.) Hence, St. Augustine says, that
with regard to this sin, " the combat is common and the
victory rare." Hence it is, that on account of this sin
hell is filled with souls.
12. All that I have said on this subject has been said,
not that any one present, who has been addicted to the
vice of impurity, may be driven to despair, but that
such persons may be cured. Let us, then, come to the
remedies. These are two great remedies — prayer, and
the flight of dangerous occasions. Prayer, says St.
Gregory of Nyssa, is the safeguard of chastity. " Oratio
pudicitiae presidium et tutamen est." (De Orat.) And
before him, Solomon, speaking of himself, said the same.
" And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent,
except God gave it... I went to the Lord, and besought
him." (Wis. viii. 21.) Thus, it is impossible for us to
conquer this vice without God's assistance. Hence, as
346 SERMON XI, V.
soon as temptation against chastity presents itself, the
remedy is, to turn instantly to God for help, and to
repeat several times the most holy names of Jesus and
Mary, which have a special virtue to banish bad
thoughts of that kind. I have said immediately, with
out listening to, or beginning to argue with the tempta
tion. When a bad thought occurs to the mind, it is
necessary to shake it off instantly, as you would a spark
that flies from the fire, and instantly to invoke aid from
Jesus and Mary.
13. As to the flight of dangerous occasions, St. Philip
!N"eri used to say that cowards — that is, they who fly
from the occasions — gain the victory. Hence you must,
in the first place, keep a restraint on the eyes, and must
abstain from looking at young females. Otherwise, says
St. Thomas, you can scarcely avoid the sin. " Luxuria
vitari vix protest nisi vitatur aspectus mulieris pulchrae."
(S. Thorn. 1, 2, qu. 167, a. 2.) Hence Job said : " I
made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much
as think upon a virgin" (xxxi. 1). He was afraid to
look at a virgin ; because from looks it is easy to pass to
desires, and from desires to acts. St. Francis de Sales
used to say, that to look at a woman does not do so
much evil as to look at her a second time. If the devil
has not gained a victory the first, he will gain the second
time. And if it be necessary to abstain from looking at
females, it is much more necessary to avoid conversation
with them/' "Tarry not among women." (Eccl. xlii. 12.)
We should be persuaded that, in avoiding occasions of
this sin, no caution can be too great. Hence we must
be always fearful, and fly from them. " A wise man
feareth and declineth from evil ; a fool is confident."
(Prov. xiv. 16.) A wise man is timid, and flies away ;
a fool is confident, and falls.
LOVE OF GOD. 347
SERMON XLVL— SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
On the love of God.
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart." — MATT.
xxii. 37.
" BUT one thing is necessary." (Luke x. 42.) What is
this one thing necessary ? It is not necessary to acquire
riches, nor to ohtain dignities, nor to gain a great name.
The only thing necessary is to love God. Whatever is
not done for the love of God is lost. This is the greatest
and the first commandment of the divine law. To the
Pharisee who asked what is the greatest commandment
of the law, Jesus Christ answered : " Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with thy whole heart .... This is the
greatest and first commandment." (Matt. xxii. 37, 38.)
But this, which is the greatest of the commandments, is
the most despised by men : there are few who fulfil it.
The greater part of men love their relatives, their friends,
and even brute animals, but do not love God. Of these
St. John says that they have not life — that they are
dead. " He that loveth not, abideth in death." (L John
iii. 14.) St. Bernard writes, that the reward of a soul
is estimated by the measure of her love for God. " Quan-
titas anima3 aistimatur de mensura charitatis quani
habet." (Serm. xxvii., in Cant.) Let us consider to-day,
in the first point, how dear this command of loving God
with our whole heart ought to be to us ; and, in the
second, what we ought to do in order to love God with
our whole heart.
First Point. How dear this command of loving God
with our whole heart ought to be to us.
1. What object more noble, more magnificent, more
powerful, more rich, more beautiful, more bountiful,
more merciful, more grateful, more amiable, or more
loving, than himself, could God give us to love ? Who
more noble than God ? Some boast of the nobility of
their family for five hundred or a thousand years ; but
the nobility of God is eternal. He is the Lord of all.
348 SERMON XL VI.
Before God all the angels in heaven or all the nobles
on earth are but as a drop of water or a grain of dust.
" Behold the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket — behold
the islands are as a little dust/' (Isa. xl. 15.) Who more
powerful than God ? He can do whatsoever he wills.
By an act of his will he has created this world, and by
another act he can destroy it when he pleases. Who
more wealthy ? He possesses all the riches of heaven
and earth. Who more beautiful ? Before the beauty
of God all the beauties of creatures disappear. Who
more bountiful ? St. Augustine says, that God has a
greater desire to do good to us than we have to receive
it. Who more merciful ? If the most impious sinner
on earth humble himself before God, and repent of his
sins, God instantly pardons and embraces him. Who
more grateful ? He does not leave unrewarded the
smallest act we perform for his sake. Who more
amiable ? God is so amiable that, by barely seeing
and loving him in heaven, the saints feel a joy which
makes them perfectly happy and content for all eternity.
The greatest of the torments of the damned arise from
knowing that this God is so amiable, and that they
cannot love him.
2. Finally, who more loving than God ? In the Old
Law, men might doubt whether God loved them with a
tender love ; but, after seeing him die on a cross for us,
how can we doubt of the tenderness and the ardent
affection with which he loves us ? Let us raise our eyes
and look at Jesus, the true Son of God, fastened with
nails to a gibbet, and let us consider the intensity of the
love which he bears us. The cross, the wounds, says
St. Bernard, cry out, and proclaim to us that he truly
loves us. " Clamat crux, clamat vulnus, quod ipse vere
dilexit." And what more could he do to convince us of
his great love than to lead a life of sorrow for thirty-
three years, and afterwards die in torments on the infa
mous tree of the cross, in order to wash away our sins
with his own blood? " Christ also hath loved us, and
hath delivered himself up for us." (Eph. v. 2.) " Who
hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood." (Apoc. i. 5.) " How," says St. Philip Neri, " is
it possible for him who believes in God to love anything
LOVE OF GOD. 349
but God ?" Contemplating God's love towards men, St.
Mary Magdalene de Pazzi began one day to ring the
bell, saying that she wished to invite all the nations of
the earth to love so loving a God. St. Francis de Sales
used to say with tears : "To love our God it would be
necessary to have an infinite love ; and we throw away
our love on vain, contemptible things."
3. 0 ! inestimable value of divine love, which makes
us rich before God ! It is the treasure by which we gain
his friendship. " She is an infinite treasure to men,
which they that use become the friends of God." (Wis.
vii. 14.) The only thing we ought to fear, says St.
Gregory of Nyssa (de Vita Moysis), is the loss of God's
friendship ; and the only object of our desires should be
its attainment. " Unum terribile, arbitror, ab amicitia
Dei repelli : unum solum expectibile, amicitia Dei." It
is love that obtains the friendship of God. Hence,
according to St. Lawrence Justinian, by love the poor
become rich, and without love the rich are poor. " No
greater riches than to have charity. In charity the poor
man is rich, and without charity the rich man is poor."
(S. Laur. Just, in Matt. xiii. 44.) How great is the joy
which a person feels in thinking that he is loved by a
man of exalted rank ! But how much greater must be
the consolation which a soul derives from the conviction
that God loves her ! " I love them that love me."
(Prov. viii. 17.) In a soul that loves God the Three
Persons of the Adorable Trinity dwell. " If any one
love me he will keep my word ; and my Father will
love him ; and we will come to him, and will make our
abode with him." (John xiv. 23.) St. Bernard writes,
that among all the virtues charity is the one that unites
us to God. Charitas est virtus conjungens nos Deo."
St. Catherine of Bologna used to say, that love is the
golden chain that binds the soul to God. St. Augustine
says, that " love is a joint connecting the lover with the
beloved." Hence, were God not immense, where should
he be found ? Find a soul that loves God, and there
God is certainly found. Of this St. John assures us.
(i He that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God
in him." (1 John iv. 16.) A poor man loves riches, but
he does not therefore enjoy them ; he may love a throne,
350 SERMON XLVI.
but he does not therefore possess a kingdom. But the
man that loves God possesses God. " He abideth in
God, and God in him/'
4. Besides, St. Thomas says (Tr. de Virt, art. 3), that
love draws in its train all other virtues, and directs them
all to unite us more closely to God. Hence, because
from charity all virtues are born, St. Lawrence Justinian
called it the mother of virtues. Hence, St. Augustine
used to say: " Love, and do what you wish." He that
loves God can only do what is good ; if he does evil, he
shows that he has ceased to love God. And when he
ceases to love him, all things can profit him nothing. If,
said the Apostle, I give all my possessions to the poor,
and my body to the flames, and have not charity, I am
nothing. " And if I should distribute all my goods to
feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be
burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
(1 Cor. xiii. 3.)
5. Love also prevents us from feeling the pains of this
life. St. Bonaventure says, that the love of God is like
honey ; it sweetens things the most bitter. And what
more sweet to a soul that loves God than to suffer for
him ? She knows that by cheerfully embracing suffer
ings she pleases God, and that her pains shall be the
brightest jewels in her crown in Paradise. And who is
there that will not willingly suffer and die in imitation
of Jesus Christ, who has gone before us, carrying his
cross, to offer himself in sacrifice for the love of us, and
inviting us to follow his example ? "If any man will
come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me."
(Matt. xvi. 24.) For this purpose he has condescended
to humble himself to death, and to the opprobrious death
of the cross, for the love of us. " He humbled himself,
becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the
cross." (Phil. ii. 8.)
Second Point What we ought to do in order to love
God with our whole heart.
G. St. Teresa used to say, that in calling a soul to his
love, God bestows upon her an exceedingly great favour.
Since, then, most beloved brethren, God calls us all to
his love, let us thank and love him with our whole
LOVE OF GOD. 351
heart. Because he loves us intensely, he wishes to he
tenderly loved by us. " When/' says St. Bernard,
" God loves, he desires nothing else than to he loved ;
for he loves only that he may be loved." (Serm. Ixiii., in
Cant.) It was to inflame us with his divine love that
the Eternal Word descended from heaven. So he him
self has declared ; adding, that he only desires to see
this fire lighted up in our hearts. " I am come to cast
fire on the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled?"
(Luke xii. 49.) Let us now see what means we ought
to adopt in order to love God.
7. In the first place, we ought to guard against every
sin, whether mortal or venial. " If/' says Jesus Christ,
" any one love me, he will keep my word." (John xiv.
23.) The first mark of love is to endeavour not to give
the smallest displeasure to the beloved. How can he be
said to love God with his whole heart, who is not afraid
to commit deliberate venial offences against God ? St.
Teresa used to say to her spiritual children : " From
deliberate sin, however small, may God deliver you."
But some will say : Yenial sin is a small evil. Is it a
small evil to displease a God who is so good, and who
loves us so tenderly ?
8. In the second place, to love God with the whole
heart, it is necessary to have a great desire to love him.
Holy desires are the wings with which we fly to God ;
for, as St. Lawrence Justinian says, a good desire gives
us strength to go forward, and lightens the labour of
walking in the way of God. " Yires subministrat, posnam
exhibet leviorem." According to the spiritual masters,
he that does not advance in the way of the Lord goes
back ; but, on the other hand, God cheerfully gives him
self to those who seek after him. " The Lord is good to
the soul that seeketh him." (Lamen. iii. 25.) He fills
with his own good things all who desire him through
love. " He hath filled the hungry with good things."
(Luke i. 53.)
9. In the third place, it is necessary to resolve coura
geously, to arrive at the perfect love of God. Some
persons desire to belong entirely to God, but do not
resolve to adopt the means. It is of them the Wise
Man says, " Desires kill the soul." (Prov. xxi. 25.) I
352 SERMON XLVI.
would wish, they say, to become a saint ; but still, with
all their desires," they never advance a single step. St.
Teresa used to say, that " of these irresolute souls the
devil is never afraid." Because, if they do not resolve
sincerely to give themselves to God without reserve,
they shall always continue in the same imperfections.
But, on the other hand, the saint says, that God wishes
only from us a true resolution to become saints ; he him
self will do the rest. If, then, we wish to love God
with our whole heart, we must resolve to do without
reserve what is most pleasing to him, and to begin at
once to put our hands to the work. " Whatsoever thy
hand is able to do, do it earnestly." (Eccl. ix. 10.) What
you can do to-day do not put off till to-morrow ; do it
as soon as possible. A certain nun in the convent of
Tori degli Speechi, in Rome, led a tepid life ; but, being
called by God, in a retreat, to his perfect love, she
resolved to correspond immediately to the divine call,
and said to her director, with a sincere resolution :
" Father, I wish to become a saint, and to become one
immediately." And from that moment, with the aid of
God's grace, she lived and died a saint. We must, then,
resolve to acquire the perfect love of God, and must
immediately adopt the means of becoming saints.
10. The 'first means is, to detach the heart from all
creatures, and to banish from the soul every affection
which is not for God. The first question which the
ancient fathers of the desert ^ put to every one who
sought admission into their society was: " Do you bring
an empty heart, that the Holy Ghost may be able to fill
it ?" If the world be not expelled from the heart, God
cannot enter it. St. Teresa used to say: "Detach the
heart from creatures ; seek God, and you shall find him."
St. Augustine writes, that the Romans worshipped thirty
thousand gods ; but, among these ^ gods the Koman
Senate refused to admit Jesus Christ. Because, said
they, he is a proud God, who requires that he alone
should be adored. This they had reason to say ; for our
God wishes to possess our whole souls. He is, as St.
Jerome says, a jealous God. " Zelotypus est Jesus." And
therefore lie will have no rival in the affections of our
heart. Hence, the Spouse in the Canticles is called
LOVE OF GOD. 353
"an enclosed garden." "My sister, my spouse is an
enclosed garden." (Cant. iv. 12.) The soul, then, that
wishes to belong entirely to God, must be shut against
all love which is not for God.
11. Hence the Divine Spouse is said to be wounded
by one of the eyes of his eyes. " Thou hast wounded
my heart, my sister, my spouse ; thou hast wounded my
heart with one of thy eyes." (Cant. iv. 9.) One of her
eyes signifies, that in all her thoughts and actions the
only end of the spouse is to please God; while, in their
devout exercises, worldlings propose to themselves dif
ferent objects — sometimes their own interest, sometimes
to please their friends, and sometimes to please them
selves. But the saints seek only to please God, to whom
they turn, and say : " What have I in heaven ? and,
besides thee, what do I desire upon earth? Thou art
the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion
for ever." (Ps. Ixxii. 25, 26.) We should do the same
if we wished to be saints. If, says St. Chrysostom, we do
some things pleasing to God, what else but his pleasure
do we seek?^ "Si dignus fueris agere aliquid, quod
Deo placet, aliam prater id mercedem requiris ?" (Lib.
2, de Compunct. Cord.) What greater reward can a
creature obtain than to please its Creator ? Hence, in
all we desire or do, we should seek nothing but God.
A certain solitary, called Zeno, walking through the
desert, absorbed in thought, met the Emperor Mace-
donius going to hunt. The emperor asked him what
he was doing. In answer, the solitary said : You go in
quest of animals, and I seek God alone. St. Francis
de Sales used to say, that the pure love of God con
sumes all that is not God.
12. Moreover, to love God with our whole heart, it is
necessary to^love him without reserve. Hence we must
love him with a love of preference. We must prefer
him before every other good, and must be resolved to
lose a thousand lives, rather than forfeit his friendship.
We must say with St. Paul: « Neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God."
(Rom. viii. 38, 39.) We must also love him with a love
354 SERMON XLYI.
of benevolence, desiring to see him loved by all : and
therefore, if we love God, we should seek as much as
possible to kindle in others the fire of his love, or, at
least, should pray for the conversion of all who do not
love him. We must love him with a love of sorrow,
regretting every offence offered to him more than every
evil which we could suffer. We must love him with a
love of conformity to the divine will. The principal
office of love is to unite the will of lovers, and to make
the soul say : "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"
(Acts ix. 6.) Lord, tell me what thou dost wish from
me ; I desire to do it. I wish for nothing ; I wish only
what thou wiliest. Hence, we ought frequently to
offer ourselves to God without reserve, that he may do
with us, and with all we have, whatever he pleases.
We must love God with a love of patience. This is that
strong love by which true lovers are known. " Love is
strong as death." (Cant. viii. 0.) " There is nothing too
difficult," says St. Augustine, " to be conquered by the
fire of love." (Lib. deMor. EccL, c. xxii.) For, adds the
saint, in doing what we love, labour is not felt, or, if it
be felt, the very labour is loved. "In eo quod arnatur,
aut non laboratur, aut labor amatur.") St. Vincent of
Paul used to say, that love is measured by the desire of
the soul to suffer and be humbled, in order to please
God. Let God be pleased, though it should cost us
the loss of our life and of all things. To gain all, it is
necessary to leave all. All for all, said Thomas a
Kcmpis. The reason we do not become saints is, as St.
Teresa says, because, as we do not give God all our
affections, so he does not give us his perfect love. We
must then say with tbe spouse in the Canticles : "My
beloved to me, and I to him." (Cant. ii. 1 6.) My be
loved has given himself entirely to me : it is but just
that I give myself without reserve to him. St. John
Chrysostom says, that when a soul has given herself
entirely to God, she no longer cares for ignominies and
sufferings ; she loses the desire of all things ; and not
finding repose in any creature, she is always in search
cf her beloved ; her sole concern is to find her beloved.
lo. To obtain and to preserve divine love, three
things are necessary : meditation, communion, and
LOVE OF GOD. 355
prayer. First, meditation is necessary. He who thinks
but little on God, loves him but little. '* In my medi
tation/' says David, "a fire shall flame out." (Ps.
xxxviii. 4.) Meditation, and particularly meditation on
the passion of Jesus Christ, is the blessed furnace in
which the love of God is kindled and fanned. "He
brought me into the wine cellar ; he set in order charity
in me/' (Cant. ii. 4.) The souls that are introduced
into this heavenly cellar, by a single glance of Jesus
Christ crucified and dying for the love of us, are wounded
and inebriated with holy love. For St. Paul says, that
Jesus Christ died for us all, that each of us may live
only to love him. " And Christ died for all, that they
also may not now live to themselves, but unto him who
died for them/' (2 Cor. v. 15.) The communion is
another holy furnace, in which we are inflamed with
divine love. " The holy eucharist/' says St. Chrysos-
tom, " is a fire which inflames us, that, like lions breath
ing fire, we may retire from the holy table, being made
terrible to the devil/' (Horn, xli., ad Pop.) Above all,
prayer (the prayer of petition) is necessary. It is by
means of prayer that God dispenses all his favours, but
particularly the great gift of divine love. To make us
ask this love, meditation is a great help. "Without me
ditation we shall ask little or nothing from God. "We
must, then, always, every day, and several times in the
day, ask God to give us the grace to love him with our
whole heart. St. Gregory says, that God wishes to be
compelled^ and importuned by our petitions to bestow
upon us his graces. " God wishes to be entreated — to
be compelled : he wishes in a certain manner to be over
come by importunity." Let us, then, continually ask of
Jesus Christ his holy love ; and let us ask his divine
mother Mary, who is the treasurer of all his graces, to
obtain it for us. Thesauraria gratiarum (Idiota). She
is called by St. Bernardino, the dispensatrix of God's
f races. " All graces are dispensed through her hands."
t is through her intercession that we must obtain the
great gift of divine love.
356 SERMON XLVII.
SERMON XLVII.— EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
On bad thoughts.
" And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said : Why do you think evil hi
your hearts."— MATT. ix. 4.
IN the gospel of this day it is related that a paralytic
was presented te Jesus Christ that he might heal him.
The Lord healed not only his body, but also his soul,
and said to him : " Be of good heart, son ; thy sins are
forgiven thee" (verse 2). Some of the Scribes, as soon
as they heard these words, said in their hearts : He
llasphemeth. But our Saviour soon let them know that
he saw their evil thoughts, saying: "Why do you think
evil in your hearts/' Let us come to the subject of this
discourse. God sees the most secret evil thoughts of
our hearts ; he sees and punishes them. Human judges
forbid and chastise only external crimes ; for men only
see what appears externally. " Men seeth those things
that appear ; but the Lord beholdeth the heart." (1
Kings xvi. 7.) God prohibits and punishes bad thoughts.
We shall examine, in the first point, when bad thoughts
are sinful ; in the second, the great ^ danger of bad
thoughts when indulged ; and in the third, the remedies
against bad thoughts.
First Point. When bad thoughts are sinful.
1. In two ways men err regarding bad thoughts.
Some who have the fear of God, are scrupulous, and
are afraid that every bad thought that presents itself
to the mind is a sin. This is an error. It is not the
bad thought, but the consent to it, that is sinful. ^ All
the malice of mortal sin consists in a bad will, in giving
to a sin a perfect consent, with full advertence to the
malice of the sin. Hence St. Augustine teaches, that
where there is no consent there can be no sin. " Nullo
modo sit peccatum, si non sit voluntariuin." (De Vera
Eel, cap. xiv.) Though the temptation, the rebellion of
the senses, or the evil motion of the inferior parts,
BAD THOUGHTS. 357
should be very violent, there is no sin, as long as there
is no consent. " Non nocet sensus," says St. Bernard,
" ubi non est consensus." (De Inter. Domo., cap. xix.)
2. Even the saints have been tormented by tempta
tions. The devil labours harder to make the saints
fall, than to make the wicked sin : he regards the saints
as more valuable prey. The Prophet Habacuc says,
that the saints are the dainty food of the enemy.
" Through them his portion is made fat, and his meat
dainty." (Hab. i. 16.) And therefore, the prophet adds,
that the evil one stretches out his net for all, to deprive
them of the life of grace : and that he spares no one.
"For this cause, therefore, he spreadeth out his net,
and will not spare continually to slay the nations/'
(Ibid., v. 17.) Even St. Paul, after he had been made
a vessel of election, groaned under temptations against
'chastity. " There was," said he, "given me a sting of
the flesh, an angel of Satan to afflict me." (2 Cor. xii. 7.)
He three times prayed to the Lord, to deliver him
from these temptations ; but in answer the Lord told
him, that his grace was sufficient for him. " For which
thing thrice I besought the Lord, that it might depart
from^me. And he said: My grace is sufficient for
thee." (ver. 8, 9.) God permits even his servants to be
tempted, as well to try their fidelity, as to purify them
from their imperfections. And, for the consolation of
timid and scrupulous souls, I will here state that, accor
ding to the common opinion of theologians, when a
soul that fears God and hates sin is in doubt whether
she gave consent to a bad thought, she is not bound, as
long as she is not certain of having given consent, to
confess it: for it is then morally certain that she has
not consented to it. Had she really fallen into grevious
sin she would have no doubt about it ; for mortal sin
is so horrible a monster, that it is impossible for him
who fears God to admit it into the soul without his
knowledge.
3. Others, who are not scrupulous, but are ignorant,
and have lax consciences, think that evil thoughts,
though wilfully indulged, are not mortal sins, unless
the act is consummated. This is an error worse than
the former. What we cannot lawfully do, we cannot
358 SERMON XLVII.
lawfully desire. Hence it is, that a bad thought to which
a person consents, has the same malice as the bad act.
As sinful works separate us from God, so also do sinful
thoughts. " Perverse thoughts separate us from God."
(Wis. i. 3.) And as all bad actions are known to God,
so also he sees all evil thoughts, and will condemn and
punish them. " The Lord is a God of all knowledge,
and to him are thoughts prepared." (1 Kings ii. 3.)
4. However, all bad thoughts are not equally sinful :
nor have all those that are sinful equal malice. In a
bad thought we may consider three things : the sugges
tion, the delectation, and the consent. The suggestion
is the first bad thought that is presented to the mind :
this is no sin, but, when rejected is an occasion of merit.
" As often," says St. Antonine, " as you resist, you are
crowned." The delectation takes place when the person
stops, as it were, to look at the bad thought, which by
its pleasing appearance, causes delight. Unless the
will consents to it, this delectation is not a mortal sin ;
but it is a venial sin, and, if not resisted, the soul is in
danger of consenting to it : but, when this danger is
not proximate, the sin is only venial. But it is necessary
to remark, that, when the thought which excites the
delight is against chastity, we are, according to the
common opinion of theologians, bound under pain of
mortal sin to give a positive resistance to the delecta
tion caused by the thought ; because, if not resisted,
the delight easily obtains the consent of the will.
" Unless a person repel delectations," says St. Anselm,
" the delight passes to consent, and kills the soul." (S.
Ans. SimiL, c. xl.) Hence, though a person should not
consent to the sin, if he delight in the obscene object,
and do not endeavour to resist the delectation, he is
guilty of a mortal sin, by exposing himself to the proxi
mate danger of consent. " How long shall hurtful
thoughts abide in thee." (Jer. iv. 14.) Why, says the
Prophet, do you allow hurtful thoughts to remain in
the mind ? Why do you not make an effort to banish
them from the heart? God wishes us to watch over
the heart with great care ; because on the heart — that
is, the will — our life depends. " With all watchfulness
keep thy heart, because life issue th out from it." (Prov.
BAD THOUGHTS. 359
iv. 23.) Finally, the consent, which is the cause of
mortal sin, takes place when the person clearly knows
that the object is mortally sinful, and embraces it per
fectly with the will.
5. A person may sin grievously by thought in two
ways ; by desire, and by complacency. A person sins
by desire when he wishes to do the bad act which he
desires, or would wish to do it if he had the oppor
tunity : the desire is a mortal or a venial sin, according
as the act which he desires to do is mortally or venially
sinful. However, in practice, the commission of the
external act always increases the malice of the will,
either because it ordinarily increases the complacency
which the will indulges, or causes it to continue for a
longer time. Hence, if the act followed, it is neces
sary to mention it in confession. A person sins by
complacency, when he does not desire to commit the
sinful act, but delights in it as if he had committed it.
This complacency is called morose delectation. It is
called morose, not because the complacency in the
thought of the unchaste acts lasts for a considerable
time, but because the will dwells with delight on the
thought. Hence, the sin of complacency may, as St.
Thomas teaches, be committed in a moment. " Dicitur
morosa," says the holy doctor, " non ex mora temporis,
sed ex eo quod ratio deliberans circa earn immoratur
revolvens libenter quoo statim respui debuerent." (1, 2,
qu. 74, a 1 ad. 3.) He says " libenter " (wilfully) to re
move scruples from persons of timorous conscience,
who suffer against their will certain carnal motions and
delights, although they do all in their power to banish
them. Though the inferior part should feel a certain
delight, as long as the will does not consent, there is no
sin, at least no mortal sin. I repeat with St. Augustine,
that what is not voluntary is by no means sinful.
" Malum nullo modo sit peccatum, si non sit voltm-
tarium." (De Yera Rel., c. xiv.) In temptations against
chastity, the spiritual masters advise us, not so much
to contend with the bad thought, as to turn the mind
to some spiritual, or, at least, indifferent object. It is
useful to combat other bad thoughts face to face, but not
thoughts of impurity.
360 SERMON M.VII.
Scccnd Point. The great danger of bad thoughts.
6. It is necessary to guard with all possible caution
against all bad thoughts, which are an abomination to
God. " Evil thoughts are an abomination to the Lord/'
(Prov. xv. 26.) They are called "an abomination to the
Lord," because, as the holy Council of Trent says, bad
thoughts, particularly thoughts against the ninth and
tenth commandments, sometimes inflict on the soul a
deeper wound, and are more dangerous than external
acts. " Nonnunquam animam gravius sauciant, et peri-
culosiora sunt iis qua3 in manifesto admittuntur." (Sess.
14, de Pa^na, cap. v.) They aie more dangerous on
many accounts; first, because sins of thought are more
easily committed than sins of action. The occasions of
sinful acts are frequently wanting; but sins of thought
are committed without the occasion. When a soul has
turned her back on God, the heart is continually intent
on evil, which causes delight, and thus multiplies sins
without number. " All the thought of their heart was
bent upon evil at all times." (Gen. vi. 5.)
7. Secondly, at the hour of death sinful actions can
not be committed ; but we may then be guilty of sins
of thought ; and he who has had a habit of consenting
to bad thoughts during life, will be in danger of in
dulging them at death ; for then the temptations of the
devil are most violent, Knowing that he has but little
time to gain the soul he makes gre^at efforts to bring
her into sin. " The devil is come down unto you, hav
ing great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time/'
(Apoc. xii. 12.) Being in danger of death, St. Eleazar,
as JSurius relates, was so severely tempted with bad
thoughts, that, after his recovery, he said : " Oh ! how
great is the power of the devils at the hour of death !"
The saint conquered the temptations, because he was
accustomed to reject bad thoughts. But miserable the
man that has contracted the habit of committing them.
Father Scgncri relates that a certain sinner indulged
evil thoughts during life. At death he made a sincere
confession of all his sins, and was truly sorry for them ;
but, after death, he appeared to a person and said he
was damned. He stated, that his confession was valid,
and that God had pardoned all his sins : that, before
IUD THOUGHTS. 3G1
death, the devil represented to him, that should he
recover from his illness, it would be an act of ingratitude
to forsake a certain woman who had a great affection
for him. He hanished the first temptation : a second
came, which he also rejected ; hut having continued to
think on it for a little, he was tempted a third time,
yielded to the temptation, and thus he was lost.
Third Point. On the remedies against had thoughts.
8. The Prophet Isaias says, that to be freed from bad
thoughts, we must take away the evil of our thoughts.
" Take away the evil of our devices." (Isa. i. 16.) What
does he mean by taking away the evil of our devices ?
He means that we should take away the occasions of evil
thoughts, avoid dangerous occasions, and keep at a dis
tance from bad company. I knew a young man who
was an angel ; but, in consequence of a word which he
heard from a bad companion he had an evil thought,
and consented to it. He was of opinion that this was
the only grievous sin which he committed in his whole
life ; for he afterwards became a religious, and, after
some years, died a holy death. Thus, it is also necessary
to abstain from reading books that are obscene, or other
wise bad. You must, moreover, avoid dances with
females and profane comedies : at least when the dances
or comedies are immodest.
9. Some young men will ask : Father, is it sinful to
make love ? I say : I cannot assert that of itself it is
a mortal sin ; but persons who do so are often in the
proximate occasion of mortal sin ; and experience shows
that few of them are found free from grievous faults.
It is useless for them to say that they neither had a bad
motive nor bad thoughts. This is an illusion of the
devil ; in the beginning he does not suggest bad
thoughts ; but when, by frequent conversations together,
and by frequently speaking of love, the affection of these
lovers has become strong, the devil will make them
blind to the danger and sinfulness of their conduct, and
they shall find that, without knowing how, they have
lost their souls and God by many sins of impurity and
scandal. Oh ! how many young persons of both sexes
does the devil gain in this way ! And of all those sins
362 SERMON XLVII.
of scandal God will demand an account of fathers and
mothers, who are bound, but neglect, to prevent these
dangerous conversations. Hence, they are the cause of
all these evils, and shall be severely chastised by God
for them.
10. Above all, in order to avoid bad thoughts, men
must abstain from looking at women, and females must
be careful not to look at men. I repeat the words of
Job which I have frequently quoted : " I made a cove
nant with my eyes, that I should not so much as think
upon a virgin." (Job xxxi. 1.) He says that he made a
covenant with his eyes that he would not think. What
have the eyes to do with thinking ? The eyes do not
think ; the mind alone thinks. But he had just reason
to say that he made a covenant with his eyes that he
would not think on women ; for St. Bernard says, that
through the eyes the darts of impure love, which kills
the soul, enter into the mind. " Per oculos intrat in
mentcm sagitta impuri arnoris." Hence the Holy Ghost
says : *' Turn away thy face from a woman dressed
up." (Eccl. ix. 8.) It is always dangerous to look at
young persons elegantly dressed ; and to look at them
purposely, and without a just cause, is, at least, a venial
si a.
11. When thoughts against chastity, which often
occur without any immediate occasion, present them
selves, it is, as I have said, necessary to banish them at
once, without beginning to argue with the temptation.
The instant you perceive the thought reject it, without
giving ear to it, or examining what it says or represents
to you. It is related in the book of the sentences of
the fathers, § 4, that St. Pachomius one day saw a devil
boasting that he often made a certain monk fall into
sin ; because, when tempted, the monk, instead of turn
ing to God, listened to his suggestions, and began to
reason with the temptations. But the saint heard
another devil complaining, that he could gain nothing
from the monk whom he tempted ; because the monk
immediately had recourse to God for help, and thus he
was always victorious. This is the advice of St. Jerome:
As soon as lust shall suggest evil, let us exclaim : The
Lord is my helper. " Statim ut libido titillaverit sensum,
PAIN OF LOSS WHICH THE DAMPED SUFFER. 363
erumpamus in vocem : Domine auxiliator meus." (Epist.
22, ad Eustoch.)
12. Should the temptation continue it will be very
useful to make it known to your confessor. St Philip
Neri used to say, that " a temptation disclosed is half
conquered." In assaults of impurity, some saints have
had recourse to very severe mortifications. St. Benedict
rolled his naked body among thorns. St. Peter of Alcan
tara threw himself into a frozen pool. But I consider
the best means of overcoming these temptations to be,
to have recourse to God, who will certainly give us the
victory. " Praising, I will call on the Lord," said
David, " and I shall be saved from my enemies." (Ps.
xvii. 4.) And when, after asking aid from God, the
temptation continues, we must not cease to pray, but
must multiply prayers : we must sigh and groan before
the most holy sacrament in the chapel, or before a cru
cifix in our own room, or before some image of most holy
Mary, who is the mother of purity. It is true, all our
efforts are useless unless God sustains us by his own
hand ; but he sometimes requires these efforts on our
part, that he may supply our deficiency, and secure to
us the victory. In such combats with hell, it is useful
in the beginning to renew our purpose never to offend
God, and to forfeit life rather than lose his grace ; and
then, we must make repeated petitions to him, saying :
Lord give me strength to resist this temptation : do not
permit me to be separated from thee : deprive me of life
rather than allow me to lose thee.
SEKMON XL YIIL— NINETEENTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
On the pain of loss which the damned suffer in hell.
" Cast him into the exterior darkness ; there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth." — MATT. xxii. 13.
ACCORDING to all laws, divine and human, the punish
ment of crime should be proportioned to its grievous-
ness. " According to the measure of the sin shall the
measure also of the stripes be." (Deut. xxv. 2.) Now,
364 SERMOX XLVIII.
the principal injury which sinners do to God by mortal
sin, consists in turning their back upon their Creator
and their sovereign good. St. Thomas defines mortal
sin to be " a turning away from the immutable good"
(p. 1, qu. 24, art. 4). Of this injury the Lord complains
in the following words : " Thou hast forsaken me, saith
the Lord ; thou hast gone backward. (Jer. xv. 6.) Since,
then, the greatest guilt of the sinner consists in deli
berately consenting to lose God, the loss of God shall
constitute his greatest punishment in hell. " There shall
be weeping." In hell there is continual weeping ; but
what is the object of the bitterest tears of the unhappy
damned ? It is the thought af having lost God through
their own fault. This shall be the subject of the present
discourse. Be attentive, brethren.
1. No! dearly beloved Christians! the goods of the
earth are not the end for which God has placed you in
the world ; the end for which he has created you is the
attainment of eternal life. " And the end life eternal."
(Rom. vi. 22.) Eternal life consists in loving God, and
possessing him for eternity. Whosoever attains this
end shall be for ever happy ; but he who, through his
own fault, does not attain it, loses God; he shall be
miserable for eternity, and shall weep for ever, saying :
" My end is perished." (Lamen. iii. 18.)
2. The pain produced by loss is proportioned to the
value of what has been lost. If a person lose a jewel —
a diamond worth a hundred crowns, he feels great
pain ; if the diamond were worth two hundred crowns,
the pain is double ; if worth four hundred, the pain is
still greater. Now, I ask, what is the good which a
damned soul has lost ? She has lost God ; she has lost
an infinite good. The pain, then, arising from the loss
of Gcd is an infinite pain. " The pain of the damned,"
says St. Thomas, " is infinite, because it is the loss of an
infinite good." (1. 2, qu. 87, a. 4.) Such, too, is the
doctrine of St. Bernard, who says, that the value of
the loss of the damned is measured from the infinitude
of God the supreme good. Hence, hell does not con
sist in its devouring fire, nor in its intolerable stench,
nor in the unceasing shrieks and bowlings of the
PAIN OF LOSS WHICH THE DAMNED SUFFER. 365
damned, nor in the terrific sight of the devils, nor in the
narrowness of that pit of torments, in which the damned
are thrown one over the other : the pain which consti
tutes hell is the loss of God. In comparison of this
pain, all the other torments of hell are trifling. The
reward of God's faithful servants in heaven is, as he said
to Abraham, God himself. " I am thy reward, exceed
ing great." (Gen. xv. 1.) Hence, as God is the reward
of the blessed in heaven, so the loss of God is the punish
ment of the damned in hell.
3. Hence, St. Bruno has truly said, that how great
soever the torments which may be inflicted on the
damned, they never can equal the great pain of being
deprived of God. Add torments to torments, but do
not deprive them of God. " Addantur tormenta tor-
mentis, et Deo non priventur." (Serm. de Jud. Fin.)
According to St. Chrysostom, a thousand hells are not
equal to this pain. Speaking of the loss of God, he
said: " Si mille dixeris gehennas, nihil par dices illius
doloris." (Horn, xlix., ad Pop.) God is so lovely that
he deserves infinite love. He is so amiable that the
saints in heaven are so replenished with joy, and so
absorbed in divine love, that they desire nothing but to
love God, and think only of loving him with all their
strength. At present, sinners, for the sake of their
vile pleasures, shut their eyes, and neither know God
nor the love which he deserves ; but in hell they shall,
in punishment of their sins, be made to know that God
is an infinite good and infinitely amiable. " The Lord
shall be known when he executeth judgment." (Ps. ix.
17.) The sinner, drowned in sensual pleasures, scarcely
knows God : he sees him only in the dark, and there
fore he disregards the loss of God. But in hell he
shall know God, and shall be tormented for ever by the
thought of having voluntarily lost his infinite good.
A certain Parisian doctor appeared after death to his
bishop, and said that he was damned. His bishop
asked him if he remembered the sciences in which he
was so well versed in this life. He answered, that in
hell the damned think only of the pain of having lost
God.
4. " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
366
SERMOX XLYIT1.
fire/' (Matt. xxv. 41.) « Depart from me." This com
mand constitutes the hell of the damned. Begone from
me ; you shall be no longer mine, and I shall be no
longer yours. " You are not my people, and I will not
be yours." (Osee i. 9.) At present this punishment is,
as St. Augustine says, dreaded only by the saints. " Hecc
amantibus non contemnentibus poena est." It is a
punishment which affrights the soul that loves God more
than all the torments of hell ; but it does not terrify
sinners, who are immersed in the darkness of sin. But
at death they shall, for their greater chastisement,
understand the infinite good which they have lost
through their own fault.
5. It is necessary to know that men have been created
for God, and that nature draws them to love him. In
this life, the darkness of sin, and the earthly affections
which reign in their hearts, stifle their natural tendency
and inclination to a union with God, their sovereign
good ; and therefore the thought of being separated from
him does not produce much pain. But when the soul
leaves the body, and is freed from the senses, which
keeps her in darkness, she then clearly sees that she has
been created for God, and that he is the only good which
can make her happy. " But," says St. Antonine, " the
soul separated from the body understands that God is
her sovereign good, and that she has been created for
him." Hence, as soon as she is loosed from the bondage
of the body, she rushes forward to embrace her supreme
good : but because she is in sin, and his enemy, God
will cast her off. Though driven back and chased away,
she retains her invincible tendency and inclination to a
union with God ; and her hell shall consist in seeing
herself always drawn to God, and always banished from
him.
6. If a dog see a hare, what effort does he not make
to break his chain and seize his prey ! Thus, at her
separation from the body, the natural inclinations of
the soul draw her to God, while at the same time sin
separates her from him, and drags her with it into
hell. Sin, ^says the prophet, like a wall of immense
thickness, is placed between the soul and God, and
separates her from him. " But your iniquities have
PAIN OF LOSS WHICH THE DAMNED SUFFER. 367
divided between you and your God." (Isa. lix. 2.)
Hence, the unhappy soul, confined in the prison of hell,
at a distance from God, shall weep for ever, saying :
Then, 0 my God, I shall be no longer thine, and thou
wilt be no longer mine. I shall love thee no more, and
thou will never again love me. This separation from
God terrified David, when he said : " Will God, then,
cast off for ever ? or will he never be more favourable
again ?" (Ps. Ixxvi. 8.) How great, he says, would be
my misery if God should cast me from him, and never
again be merciful to me ! But this misery every damned
soul in hell suffers, and shall suffer for eternity. As long
as he remained in sin, David felt his conscience roproach-
ing him, and asking, " Where is thy God ?" 0 David,
where is thy God, who once loved thee ? Thou hast
lost him ; he is no longer thine. David was so afflicted
at the loss of his God that he wept night and day. " My
tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it has
been said to me daily : Where is thy God ?" (Ps. xli. 4.)
Thus, even the devils will say to the damned : Where is
your God ? By his tears David appeased and recovered
his God ; but the damned shall shed an immense sea
of tears, and shall never appease nor recover their
God.
7. St. Augustine says, that if the damned saw the
beauty of God, "they should feel no pain, and hell
itself would be converted into a Paradise." (Lib. de Trip.
Hab.) But the damned shall never see God. When
David forbade his son Absalom to appear in his pre
sence, the sorrow of Absalom was so great, that he
entreated Joab to tell his father that he would rather
be put to death than never more be permitted to see
his face. " I beseech thee, therefore, that I may see
the face of the king ; and if he be mindful of my
iniquity, let him kill me." (2 Kings xiv. <32.) To a cer
tain grandee, who acted irreverently in the church, Philip
the (Second said: " Do not dare ever to appear again
in my presence." So intense was the pain which the
nobleman felt, that after having returned home, he
died of grief. What then must be the feelings of the
reprobate at the hour of death, when God shall say to
them : Begone ; let me never see you again : you shall
368 SERMON XI/VI1T.
never more see my face ! " I will hide my face from
them ; all evils and afflictions shall find them." (Deut.
xxxi. 17.) What sentiments of pity should we feel at
seeing a son who was always united with his father,
who always eat and slept with him, weeping over a
parent whom he loved so tenderly, and saying: My
father, I have lost you ; I shall never see you more.
Ah ! if we saw a damned soul weeping bitterly, and
asked her the cause of her wailing, she would answer :
I weep because I have lost God, and shall never see him
again.
8. The pain of the reprobate shall be increased by the
knowledge of the glory which the saints enjoy in Para
dise, and from which they sec, and shall for ever see,
themselves excluded. How great would be the pain
which a person should feel if, after being invited by his
sovereign to his own theatre, to be present at the sing
ing, dancing, and other amusements, he should be
excluded in punishment of some fault ! How bitter
should be his anger and disappointment when, from
without, he should hear the shouts of joy and applause
within ! At present sinners despise heaven, and lose it
for trifles, after Jesus Christ shed the last drop of his
blood to make them worthy of entering into that happy
kingdom. But when they shall be confined in hell, the
knowledge of the glory of heaven shall be the greatest of
all their torments. St. John Chrysostom says, that to
see themselves banished from that land of joy, shall be
to the damned a torment ten thousand times as great as
the hell which they suffer. " Decem mille quis ponat
gehennas, nihil tale dicet quale cst a beata gloria
excidere." (S. Joan. Chry. ap. 8. Thorn. Suppl, qu. 98,
art. 9.) Oh ! that I had at least the hope, the damned
will say, that after a thousand, or even a million of
ages, I could recover the divine grace, and become
worthy of entering into heaven, there to see God ! But,
no ! he shall be told, " When the wicked man is dead,
there shall be no hope any more/' (Prov. xi. 7.) When
he was in this life he could have saved his soul ; but
because he has died in sin his loss is irreparable. Hence,
with tears of despair, he shall say : "I shall not see the
Lord God in the land of the living." (Isa. xxxviii. 11.)
PAIN OF LOSS WHICH THE DAMNED SUFFER. 369
9. The thought of having lost God and Paradise,
solely through their own fault, shall increase the torture
of the damned. Every damned soul shall say: It was
in my power to have led a life of happiness on earth
by loving God, and to have acquired boundless happi
ness for eternity ; but, in consequence of having loved
my vices, I must remain in this place of torments as
long as God shall be God. She will then exclaim in
the words of Job: "Who will grant me that I might
be according to the months past, according to the days
in which God kept me ?" (Job xxxix. 2.) Oh ! that
I were allowed to go back to the time I lived on earth,
when God watched over me, that I might not fall into
this fire ! I did not live among the savages, the
Indians, or the Chinese. I was not left without the
sacraments, sermons, or masters to instruct me. I was
born in the bosom of the true Church, and have been
well instructed and frequently admonished by preachers
and confessors. To this prison I have not been dragged
by the devils ; I have come of my own accord. The
chains by which I am bound and kept at a distance from
God, I have forged with my own will. How often has
God spoken to my heart, and said to me: Amend, and
return to me. Beware, lest the time should come when
thou shalt not be able to prevent thy destruction.
Alas ! this time has come ; the sentence has been
already passed ; I am damned ; and for my damnation
there neither is, nor shall be, any remedy for all eter
nity. But if the damned soul has lost God, and shall
never see him, perhaps she can at least love him ? !N"o ;
she has been abandoned by grace, and thus she is made
the slave of her sins, and compelled to hate him. The
damned see that God is their adversary on account of
their contempt for him during life, and are therefore
always in despair. " Why hast thou set me opposite to
thee, and I am become burthensome to myself." (Job
vii. 20.) Hence, because the damned see that they are
enemies of God, whom they at the same time know to
be worthy of infinite love, they are to themselves objects
of the greatest horror. The greatest of all the punish
ments which God shall inflict on them, will consist in
seeing that God is so amiable, and that they are so
2 A
370 SERMON XI. VII I.
deformed, and the enemies of this God. *' I will set
before thy face." (Ps. xlix. 21.)
10. The sight of all that God has done for the damned
shall above all increase their torture. "The wicked shall
see and shall be angry." (Ps. cxi. 10.) They shall see
all the benefits which God bestowed upon them — all the
lights and calls which he gave them — and the patience
with which he waited for them. They shall, above all, see
how much Jesus Christ has loved them, and how much he
has suffered for the love of them ; and after all his love
and all his sufferings, they shall see that they are now
objects of his hatred, and shall be no longer objects of
his love. According to St. Chrysostom, a thousand hells
are nothing compared with the thought of being hateful
to Christ. " Si mille quis ponat, gehennas, nihil tale
dicturus est, quale est exosum esse Christo." (Horn xiv.
in Matt.) Then the damned shall say: My Redeemer,
who, through compassion for me, sweated blood, suffered
an agony in the garden, and died on the cross bereft of
all consolation, has now no pity on me ! I weep, I cry
out ; but he no longer hears or looks to me ! He is
utterly forgetful of me. He once loved me ; but now he
hates and justly hates me; for I have ungratefully refused
to love him. David says, that the reprobate are thrown
into the pit of death. " Thou shalt bring them down
into the pit of destruction." (Ps. liv. 24.) Hence St.
Augustine has said : " The pit shall be closed on top, it
shall be opened at the bottom, it shall be expanded
downwards ; and they who refuse to know God shall be
no longer known by him." " Puteus claudetur sursum,
aperietur deorsum, dilatatibur in profundum : et ultra
nescientur a Deo qui Deum scire noluerunt." (Horn,
xvi., cap 50.)
11. Thus the damned see that God deserves infinite
love, and that they cannot love him. St. Catherine of
Genoa being one day assailed by the devil, asked him.
who he was. He answered with tears : 1 am that wicked
one icho is deprived of the love of God. I am that miser
able being that can never more love God. They not
only cannot love God, but, abandoned in their sins,
they are forced to hate him : their hell consists in
hating God, whom they at the same time know to be
PAIN OF LOSS WHICH THE DAMNED SUFFER. 371
infinitely amiable. They love him intensely as their
sovereign good, and hate him as the avenger of their sins.
" Res miserrima," says a learned author, " amare vehe-
menter, et amatum simul odisse." (Magnotius Medit.)
Their natural love draws them continually to God; but
their hatred drags them away from him. These two
contrary passions, like two ferocious wild beasts, inces
santly tear in pieces the hearts of the damned, and cause,
and shall for all eternity cause, them to live in a continual
death. The reprobate then shall hate and curse all the
benefits which God has bestowed upon them. They shall
hate the benefits of creation, redemption, and the sacra
ments. But they shall hate in a particular manner the
sacrament of baptism, by which they have, on account of
their sins, been made more guilty in the sight of God ;
the sacrament of penance, by which, if they wished, they
could have so easily saved their souls ; and, above all,
the most holy sacrament of the altar, in which God had
given himself entirely to them. They shall consequently
hate all the other means which have been helps to their
salvation. Hence, they shall hate and curse all the angels
and saints. But they shall curse particularly their guar
dian angels— their special advocates— and, above all,
the divine mother Mary. They shall curse the three
divine persons— the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost; but particularly Jesus Christ, the Incarnate
Word, who suffered so much, and died for their salva
tion. They shall curse the wounds of Jesus Christ, the
blood of Jesus Christ, and the death of Jesus Christ.
Behold the end to which accursed sin leads the souls
which Jesus Christ has dearly bought.
372 SEltMON -XI, IX.
SERMON XLIX.— TWENTIETH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
On the predominant passion.
" For he was at the point of death. Lord, come down before that
my son die." — JOHN iv. 47, 49.
OUR passions are not of themselves bad nor hurtful,
when regulated according to the dictates of reason and
prudence, they do us no injury, but are, on the contrary,
profitable to the soul ; but, when disorderly, they are
productive of irreparable mischief to those who obey
them ; for, when any passion takes possession of the
heart, it obscures the truth, and makes the soul incapable
of distinguishing between good and evil. Ecclesiasticus
implored the Lord to deliver him from a mind under the
sway of passion. " Give me not over to a shameless and
foolish mind." (Eccl. xxiii. 6.) Let us, then, be careful
not to allow any bad passion to rule over us. In this
day's gospel it is related that a certain ruler, whose son
was at the point of death (incipiebat enim mori), knowing
that Jesus Christ had come into Galilee, went in search
of him, and entreated him to come and cure his son.
" Come down before that my son die." The same may
be said of him who begins to submit to the tyranny of
any passion. " He is at the point of death " of the soul,
which should be dreaded far more than the death of the
body. Hence, if he wishes to preserve spiritual life, he
ought to ask the Lord to deliver him as soon as possible
from that passion — Lord, come down before my soul die;
if he do not, he shall be miserably lost. I intend to-day
to show the great danger of damnation to which all who
submit to the domination of any bad passions are
exposed.
1. " Only this," said Solomon, " I found, that God
made man right, and he hath entangled himself with
an infinity of questions." (Eccl. vii. 30.) " God created
man right" — that is, in the state of justice ; but, by
giving ear to the serpent, man exposed himself to temp-
THE PREDOMINANT PASSION. 373
tations, and was conquered. He rebelled against God,
and his passions rebelled against himself. These are
the passions which, according to St. Paul, cause a con
tinual war between the flesh and the spirit. " For the
flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the
flesh." (Gal. v. 17.) However, with the aid of divine
grace, it is in man's power to resist these passions, and
not to allow them to rule over him. It is, as the Lord
told Cain, even in the power of man to rule over them,
and to bring them into subjection to reason. " But the
lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou shalt have
dominion over it." (Gen. iv. 7.) Let the assaults of the
flesh and of the devil, to make us abandon the way of
God, be ever so violent, Jesus Christ has said : " Lo !
the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke xvii. 21.)
Within us he has established a kingdom, in which the
will is the queen that ought to rule over all the senses
and passions. And what greater honour or glory can a
man have, than to be the master of his passions ?
2. The proper regulation of the motions of the mind
constitutes the interior mortification so much recom
mended by spiritual masters, and secures the salvation
of the soul. The health of the body depends on the
regulation of the humours : — if one of them predominate
to excess it causes death. But the health of the soul
consists in the proper control of the passions by reason.
But, when any passion rules over reason, it first en
slaves, and then kills the soul.
3. Many pay great attention to their external con
duct ; they endeavour to appear modest and respectful ;
but, at the same time, they cherish in their hearts sinful
affections against justice, charity, humility, and chastity.
For them is prepared the chastisement with which the
Saviour threatened the Scribes and Pharisees, who were
careful to have their cups and dishes clean, but nour
ished within unjust and unclean thoughts. " Woe to
you, Scribes arid Pharisees — hypocrites ; because you
make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish ; but,
within you are full of rapine and uncleanness." (Matt,
xxiii. 25.) The Royal Prophet says, that all the beauty
of a soul that is the true daughter of God consists in
an interior good will. "All the glory of the king's
374
SERMON XLIX.
daughter is within." (Ps. xliv. 14.) Of what use, then,
says St. Jerome, is it to abstain from food, and at the
same time to allow the mind to swell with pride ? or to
abstain from wine, and to indulge in the drunkenness
of anger ? " Quid prodest tenuari abstinentia, si animus
superbia intumescit ? quid vinum non bibere, et odio
inebriari ?" Christians who act in this manner do not
lay aside their vices ; they only cover them with the
mantle of devotion. A man, then, must divest himself
of all bad passions ; otherwise he will not be the king,
but the slave of his affections, and in opposition to the
command of the Apostle sin shall reign in his heart.
" Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, so
as to obey the lusts thereof." (Rom. vi. 12.) Man, then,
is, as St. Thomas says, the king of himself when he re
gulates his body and his carnal affections according to
reason. " Rex est homo per rationem, quia per cam
regit totum corpus et affectus ejus." (In Joan, iv.) But,
according to St. Jerome, " when the soul serves vice
she loses the honour of a kingdom." (In Thren., ii. 7.)
She loses the honour of a queen, and becomes, as St.
John teaches, the slave of sin. " Whosoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin." (John viii. 34.)
4. St. James exhorts us to treat the body and its lusts
as we would treat a horse. "We put a bridle in the
mouth of a horse, and we bring him wherever we
please. :< We put bits in the mouths of horses, that
they may obey us, and we turn about their whole
body." (St. James iii. 3.) Hence, as soon as we feel the
cravings of any bad passion, we must restrain it with
the bridle of reason ; for, if we yield to its demands, it
will bring us to the level of brute animals, that obey
not the dictates of reason, but the impulse of their
beastly appetites. " And man, when he was in honour,
did not understand: he is compared to senseless beasts,
and is become like to them." (Ps. xlviii. 13.) " It is
worse," says St, John Chrysostom, "to become like,
than to be born, a senseless beast ; for, to be naturally
without reason is tolerable." The saint says, that to
want reason by nature is not disgraceful ; but, to be
born with the gift of reason, and afterwards to live
like a beast, obeying the lusts of the flesh, is degrading
THE PREDOMINANT PASSION. 375
to man, and makes him worse than a senseless brute.
What would you say if you saw a man who would, of
his own accord, live in a stable with horses, feed with
them on hay and oats, and sleep, as they do, on dung ?
The man who submits to the tyranny of any passion,
does what is far worse in the eyes of God.
5. It was thus the Gentiles lived, who, because the
darkness of their understanding prevented them from
discerning between good and evil, went wherever their
sensual appetite led them. " That you walk not," says
St. Paul, " as also the Gentiles walk, in the vanity of
their mind, having their understanding darkened."
(Ephes. iv. 17, 18.) Hence they were abandoned to
their vices — to impurity and avarice, and blindly obeyed
the commands of their passions. " Who, despairing,
have given themselves up to lasciviousness, unto the
working of all uncleanness, unto covetousness." (verse
19.) To this miserable state are reduced all Christians
who, despising reason and God, follow the dictates of
passion. In punishment of their sins God abandons
them, as he abandoned the Gentiles, to their own wicked
desires. " Wherefore God gave them up to the desires
of their own heart." (Rom. i. 24.) This is the greatest
of all chastisements.
6. St. Augustine writes, that two cities may be built
up in the heart of a Christian; one by the love of God,
the other by self-love. " Ccelestem (civitatem) aidificat
amor Dei usque ad contemptum sui ; terrestrem oodificat
amor sui usque ad contemptum Dei." (Lib. li, de Civ.,
cap. xxviii.) Thus, if the love of God reign within us,
we will despise ourselves : if self-love reign, we will
despise God. But, in conquering self-love consists the
victory to which shall be given a crown of eternal
glory. This was the great maxim which St. Francis
Xavier always inculcated to his disciples : " Conquer
yourself; conquer yourself." All the thoughts and feel
ings of man, says the Scripture, are inclined to evil
from his boyhood. " The imagination and thought of
man's heart are prone to evil from his youth." (Gen.
viii. 21.) Hence we must, during our whole life,
zealously combat and conquer the evil inclinations
which continually rise within us, as noxious weeds
SERMON XI. IX.
spring up in our gardens. Some will ask how they
can free themselves from bad passions, and how they
can prevent them from starting up within them. St.
Gregory gives the answer : " It is one thing to look at
these heasts, and another to keep them within the den
of the heart." (Mor. lib. 6, cap. xvi.) It is one thing,
says the saint, to look at these beasts, or bad passions,
when they are outside, and another to harbour them in
the heart. As long as they are outside they can do us
no harm ; but if we admit them into the soul they
devour us.
7. All bad passions spring from self-love. This is,
as Jesus Christ teaches all who wish to follow him, the
principal enemy which we have to contend with ; and
this enemy we must conquer by self-denial. " If any
one shall come after me let him deny himself." (Matt.
xvi. 24.) " Non intrat in te, amor Dei," says Thomas
a Ivcmpis, " nisi exulet amor tui." Unless we banish
self- love from the heart the love of God cannot enter.
Blessed Angela of Foligno used to say, that she was more
afraid of self-love than of the devil, because self-love has
greater power than the devil to draw us into sin. St.
Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say the same, as we
read in her life : " Self-love is the greatest traitor we
have to guard against. Like Judas, it betrays us with a
kiss. He who conquers it conquers all enemies ; he
who dees not conquer it is lost." The saint then adds :
" If you cannot kill it with a single stroke give it
poison." She meant, that since we are not able to
destroy this accursed enemy, which, according to St.
Francis de Sales, dies only with our latest breath, we
must at least labour to weaken it as much as possible ;
for when strong it kills us. Death, says St. Basil, is the
reward which self-love gives its followers. The wages
of self-love is death ; it is the beginning of every evil.
" Stipendium amoris proprii mors est, initium omnis
mali." (S. Bas. Apud Lyreum, lib. 2.) Self-love seeks
not what is just and honourable, but what is agreeable
to the senses. Hence Jesus Christ has said : " He that
loveth his life" — that is, his sensual appetite or self-will
— " shall lose it." (John xii. 25.) He who truly loves
himself, and wishes to save his soul, should refuse to
THE PREDOMINANT PASSION. 377
the senses whatever God has forbidden ; otherwise he
shall lose God and himself.
8. There are two passions which reign within us : —
the concupiscible and irascible appetites — that is, love
and hatred. I have said, two principal passions ; for
each of them, when vicious, draws in its train many
other bad passions. The concupiscible appetite brings
with it temerity, ambition, greediness, avarice, jealous}r,
scandal. The irascible brings with it revenge, injustice,
slander, envy. St. Augustine advises us, in our combat
with the passions, not to endeavour to beat them all
down in a single conflict. " Calca jacentem, conflige
cum resistente." (In cap. viii. Rom.) We must trample
on the passion which we have cast to the ground, so
that it may be no longer able to contend with us, and
then we must endeavour to subdue the other passions
which resist our efforts.
9. But we must endeavour above all to find out our
predominant passion. He who conquers this conquers
all his passions ; he who allows himself to be overcome
by it is lost. God commanded Saul to destroy all the
Amalecites, along with all their animals and all their
property. He destroyed everything that was vile, but
spared the life of King Agag, and preserved all that
was valuable and beautiful. " And Saul and the people
spared Agag and the rest of the flocks of sheep ....
and all that was beautiful, and would not destroy them;
but everything that was vile and good for nothing, that
they destroyed." (1 Kings xv. 9.) In this Saul was
afterwards imitated by the Scribes and Pharisees, to
whom our Lord said : " Woe to you, Scribes and Phari
sees, because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin,
and have left the weightier things of the law, judgment,
and mercy, and faith." (Matt, xxiii. 23.) They were
careful to pay the tithe of things of least value, and
neglected the more important things of the law : such
as justice, charity to their neighbour, and faith in God.
Some persons act in a similar manner ; they abstain
from certain defects of minor importance, and, at the
same time, allow themselves to be ruled by their pre
dominant passions ; but if they do not destroy this
passion, they never shall gain the victory of salvation.
378
SERMON XLIX.
The King of Syria commanded the captains of his
cavalry to kill the King of Israel only, and not to mind
the others. " Fight ye not with small or great, but
with the King of Israel only." (2 Paral. xviii. 30.)
They obeyed the order, slew King Achab, and gained
the victory.
10. We must imitate the captains of Syria : unless we
kill the king — that is, the predominant passion — we shall
never be able to obtain salvation. The passion which
brings man under its sway, first blinds him and prevents
him from seeing his danger. Now, how can a blind
man, led by a blind guide, such as passion, which fol
lows not reason, but sensual pleasures, possibly avoid
falling into some abyss ? " If the blind lead the blind,
both fall into the pit." (Matt. xv. 14.) St. Gregory says
that it is a common artifice of the devil to inflame daily
more and more our predominant passion, and thus he
brings us into many horrible excesses. Through passion
for a kingdom, Ilerod spilled the blood of so many inno
cent infants. Through love for a woman, Henry the
Eighth was the cause of so many frightful spiritual evils,
put to death several most worthy individuals, and, in the
end, lost the faith. No wonder : for he who is under
the domination of any passion no longer sees what he
does. Therefore he disregards corrections, excommu
nications, and even his own damnation : he seeks only
his own pleasures, and says: " Come what will, I must
satisfy this passion.'' And, as eminent virtue is accom
panied by other virtues, so an enormous vice brings in
its train other vices. " In catena iniquitatis," says St.
Lawrence Justinian, " foederata sunt vitia."
] 1. It is necessary, then, as soon as we perceive any
passion beginning to reign within us, to beat it down
instantly, before it acquires strength. " Let cupidity
gain strength," says St. Augustine, " strike it down
while it is small." (In Ps. cxxxvi.) St. Ephrem gives
the same advice : " Unless you quickly destroy passions,
they cause an ulcer." (De Perfect.) A wound, if it be
not closed up, will soon become an incurable ulcer. To
illustrate this by an example, a certain monk, as St.
Dorotheus relates (Serm. xi.), commanded one of his
disciples to pluck up a small cypress. The disciple
THE PREDOMINANT PASSION. 379
obeyed, and drew it up with a slight effort. The monk
then ordered him to pull up another tree, which was
somewhat larger. He succeeded in the task ; but not
without a good deal of labour. The disciple was then
told to pluck up a tree which had taken deep root ; but
all his efforts were ineffectual. The monk then said to
him : Thus it is, my son, with our passions ; when they
have taken deep root in the heart, we shall not be able
to extirpate them. Dearly beloved brethren, keep
always before your eyes this maxim : that either the
spirit must trample on the flesh, or the flesh shall
trample on the spirit.
12. Cassian has laid down an excellent rule for con
quering our passions. Let us endeavour, he says, to
change the object of our passions ; and thus from being
vicious they shall become holy. Some are prone to
anger against all who treat them with disrespect. Such
persons ought to change the object of their passions, and
turn their indignation into a hatred of sin, which is
more injurious to them than all the devils in hell.
Others are inclined to love every one who possesses
amiable qualities : they should fix all their affections on
God, who is infinitely amiable. But, to recommend
ourselves to God, and to beg of him to deliver us from
our passions, is the best remedy against them. And,
when any passion becomes very violent, we must
multiply prayers. Reasoning and reflections are then of
little use ; for passion obscures our faculties ; and the
more we reflect the more delightful the object of passion
appears. Hence, there is no other remedy than to have
recourse to Jesus and to most holy Mary, saying with
tears and sighs : " Lord, save us, or we perish : do not
permit us to be ever separated from thee. "We fly to thy
protection, 0 holy mother of God." 0 souls created to
love God, let us raise ourselves above the earth ; let us
cease to fix our thoughts and affections on the miserable
things of this world; let us cease to love dross and
smoke and dung ; let us endeavour with all our strength
to love the Supreme Infinite Good, our most amiable
God, who has made us for himself, and expects us in
heaven to make us happy, and to make us enjoy the very
glory which he eujoys tor eternity.
380 SERMON L.
SERMON L.— TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER
PENTECOST.
On the eternity of hell.
" And his Lord, being angry, delivered him to the torture until he
paid all the debt." — MATT, xviii. 34.
IN this day's gospel we find that a certain servant,
having badly administered the affairs of his master, was
found to owe him a debt of ten thousand talents. The
master demanded payment ; but the servant falling
down said : " Have patience and I will pay thee all."
The master took pity on him, and forgave the entire
debt. One of his fellow-servants who owed him a
hundred pence, besought him to have patience, and
promised to pay him the last farthing ; but the wicked
servant cast him into prison. Hearing of this act of
cruelty to his fellow-servant, the master sent for him,
and said to him: "Wicked servant, I have forgiven
thee ten thousand talents, and for a debt of a hundred
pence thou hast refused to show compassion to thy
fellow-servant. He then delivered him to the tortures
till he paid all the debt. Behold, dearly beloved
brethren, in these last words, a description of the sen
tence of the eternal death which is prepared for sinners.
By dying in sin, they die debtors to God for all their
iniquities ; and being unable to make any satisfaction
in the other life for their past sins, they remain for ever
debtors to the divine justice, and must suffer for eternity
in hell. Of this miserable eternity I will speak to-day :
listen to me with attention.
1. The thought of eternity is a great thought: so it
was called by St. Augustine : Macjna cogitatio. Accord
ing to the holy doctor, God has made us Christians, and
instructed us in the maxims of faith, that we may think
of eternity. " We are Christians that we may always
think of the world to come." This thought has driven
from the world so many of the nobles of the earth,
has made them renounce all their riches, and shut
THE ETERNITY OF HELL. 381
themselves up in the cloister, there to live in poverty and
penance. This thought has sent so many young men
into caves and deserts, and has animated so many
martyrs to embrace torments and death, in order to save
their souls for eternity. " For," exclaims St. Paul, " we
have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to
come." (Heb. xiii. 14.) This earth, dearly beloved
Christians, is not our country ; it is for us a place of
passage, through which we must soon pass to the house
of eternity. " Man shall go into the house of his eternity."
(Eccl. xii. 5.) In this eternity the house of the just,
which is a palace of delights, is very different from the
house of sinners, which is a dungeon of torments. Into
one of these two houses each of us must certainly go.
" In hanc vel illam seternitatem," says St. Ambrose,
" cadam necesse est.;' (S. Amb., in Ps. cxviii.) " Into
this or that eternity I must fall."
2. And where the soul shall first go, there she shall
remain for ever. " If the tree fall to the south or to the
north, in what place soever it shall fall there shall it lie."
(Eccl. xi. 3.) On what side does a tree fall when it is
cut down ? It falls on the side to which it inclines. On
what side, brethren, will you fall, when death shall cut
down the tree of your life ? You will fall on the side to
which you incline. If you shall be found inclining to
the south — that is, in favour with God — you shall be for
ever happy ; but if you i- h ill fall to the north, you must
be for ever miserable. There is no middle place : you
must be for ever happy in heaven, or overwhelmed with
despair in hell. We must all die, says St. Bernard or
some other author (de Quat. Noviss.), but we know
not which of the two eternities shall be our lot after
death. " Necessi morem, post ha3c autem dubia ceter-
nitatis."
3. This uncertainty about his lot for eternity was
the constant subject of the thoughts of David : it de
prived his eyes of sleep, and kept him always in terror.
" My eyes prevented the watches: I was troubled, and
I spoke not : I thought upon the days of old, and I had
in my mind the eternal years." (Ps. Ixxvi. 5, 6.) AVhat,
says St. Cyprian, has encouraged the saints to lead a life,
which, on account of their continual austerities, was an
382 SERMON L.
uninterrupted martyrdom? It was, he answers, the
thought of eternity that inspired them with courage to
submit to such unceasing rigours. A certain monk shut
himself in a cave, and did nothing else than constantly
exclaim : " 0 eternity ! 0 eternity !" The famous sinner
converted hy the Abbot Paphnutius, kept eternity always
before her eyes, and was accustomed to say : " Who can
assure me of a happy eternity, and that I will not fall
into a miserable eternity." The same uncertainty kept
St. Andrew Avellino in continual terrors and tears till
his last breath. Hence he used to ask every one he met,
" What do you say ? shall I be saved or damned for
eternity ?"
4. 0! that we, too, had eternity always before our
eyes ! We certainly should not be so much attached to
the world. ^ " Quisquis in aeternitatis disiderio figitur,
nee prosperitate attollitur, nee adversitate quassatur : et
dum nihil habet in mundo quod appetat, nihil est quod
de mundo^pertimescat." He who fixes his thoughts on
eternity, is not elated by prosperity nor dejected by
adversity; because, having nothing to desire in this
world, he has nothing to fear : he desires only a happy
eternity, and fears only a miserable eternity. A certain
lady, who was greatly attached to the world, went one
day to confession to Father M. D'Avila. He bid her
go home, and reflect on these two words— always and
never. She obeyed, took away her affections from the
world, and consecrated them to God. St. Augustine says
that the man who thinks on eternity, and is not con
verted to God, either has no faith, or has lot his reason.
: 0 acternitas ! qui te cogitat, nee poonitet, aut certo
fidem npn habet, aut si habet, cor non habet." (In soliloq.)
0 eternity ! he who thinks on thee, and does not repent,
has certainly no faith, or has lost his heart. Hence St.
Chrysostom relates, that the pagans upbraided the Chris
tians with being liars or fools : liars, if they said they
believed ^ what they did not believe ; fools, if they
believed in eternity and committed sin. " Exprobabant
gentiles aut mendaces, aut stultos esse Christianos;
mendaces si non crederent quod credere dicebant ; stultos
si credebant et peccabant."
5. Woe to sinners, says St. Cesarius of Aries ; they
THE ETERNITY OF HELL. 383
enter into eternity without having known it ; hut their
woes shall be doubled when they shall have entered into
eternity, and shall never be able to leave. " Yae pecca-
toribus, ineognitam ingrediuntur." To those who enter
hell, the door opens for their admission, but never opens
for their departure. " I have the keys of death and of
hell." (Apoc. i. 18.) God himself keeps the keys of
hell, to show us that whosoever enters has no hope of
ever escaping from it. St. John Chrysostom writes,
that the condemnation of the reprobate is engraved on
the pillar of eternity, so that it never shall be revoked.
In hell there is no calendar ; there the years are not
counted. St. Antonine says, that if a damned soul
heard that she was to be released from hell after so
many millions of years as there are drops of water in the
sea, or grains of sand in the earth, she would feel a
greater joy than a criminal condemned to death would
experience at hearing that he was reprieved, and was to
be made the monarch of the whole world ! But, no ! as
many millions of years shall pass away as there are
drops of water in the ocean, or grains of dust in the
earth, and the hell of the damned shall be at its com
mencement. All these millions of years shall be mul
tiplied an infinite number of times, and hell will begin
again. But of what use is it, says St. Hilary, to count
years in eternity ? Where you expect the end, there it
commences. " Ubi putas finem invenire, ibi incipit."
And St. Augustine says, " that things which have an
end cannot be compared with eternity." (In Ps. xxxvi.)
Each of the damned would be content to make this com
pact with God — Lord, increase my torments as much as
thou pleasest ; assign a term for them as distant as thou
pleasest ; provided thou fix a time at which they shall
cease, I am satisfied. But, no ! this time shall never
arrive. *' My end," the damned shall say, " is perished."
(Lamen. iii. 18.) Then, is there no end to the torments
of the damned ? No ! the trumpet of divine justice
sounds in the caverns of hell, and continually reminds
the reprobate that their hell shall be eternal, and shall
never have an end.
6. If hell were not eternal, it would not be so
frightful a chastisement. Thomas a Kempis says, that
384 SKUMON L.
*' everything which passes with time is trifling and short."
Any pain which has an end is not very appalling. The
man who labours under an imposthume or a cancer,
must submit to the knife or the cautery : the pain is
severe ; but because it is soon over it can be borne. But
a tooth-ache which lasts for three months without inter
ruption is insupportable. Were a person obliged to lie
in the same posture for six months on a soft bed, or even
to hear the same music, or the same comedy, night and
day for one year, he would fall into melancholy and
despondency. Poor blind sinners ! When threatened
writh hell they say: " If I go there I must have patience."
But they shall not say so when they will have entered
that region of woes, where they must suffer, not by lis
tening to the same music or the same comedy, nor by
lying in the same posture, or by tooth -ache, but by en
during all torments and all evils. " I will heap evils
upon them." (Deut. xxxiii. 23.) And all these torments
shall never end.
7. They shall never end, and shall never be diminished
in the smallest degree. The damned must for ever suffer
the same fire, the same privation of God, the same sad
ness, the same despair. Yes, says St. Cyprian, in
eternity there is no change, because the decree is im
mutable. This thought shall immensely increase their
sufferings, by making them feel beforehand, and at
each moment, all that they shall have to suffer for
eternity. In this description of the happiness of the
saints, and the misery of the reprobate, the Prophet
Daniel says : " They shall wake some unto life everlast
ing, and some unto reproach to see it always." (Dan.
xii. 2.) They shall always see their unhappy eternity.
Ut videant semper. Thus eternity tortures each of the
damned not only by his present pains, but with all his
future sufferings, which are eternal.
8. These are not opinions controverted among theo
logians ; they are dogmas of faith clearly revealed in
the sacred Scriptures. " Depart from me, you cursed,
into everlasting fire." (Matt. xxv. 41.) Some will say :
The fire, but not the punishment of the damned is ever
lasting. Such the language of the incredulous, but it
is folly. For what other purpose would God make this
ETERNITY OF HELL. 385
fire eternal, than to chastise the reprobate, who are im
mortal ? But, to take away every shadow of doubt,
the Scriptures, in many other places, say, that not only
the fire, but the punishment, of the damned is eternal.
" And these/7 says Jesus Christ, " shall go into ever
lasting punishment." (Matt. xxv. 46.) Again we read
in St. Mark, " Where the worm dieth not, and the fire
is not extinguished." (ix. 43.) St. John says : " And
the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever
and ever." (Apoc. xvi. 11.) "Who," says St. Paul,
" shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction." (2
Thess. i. 9.)
9. Another infidel will ask: How can God justly
punish with eternal torments a sin that lasts but a
moment ? I answer, that the grievousness of a crime is
measured not by its duration, but by the enormity of
its malice. The malice of mortal sin is, as St. Thomas
says, infinite. (1, 2, q. 87, art. 4.) Hence, the damned
deserve infinite punishment ; and, because a creature is
not capable of suffering pains infinite in point of inten
sity, God, as the holy doctor says, renders the punish
ment of the damned infinite in extension by making it
eternal. Moreover, it is just, that as long as the sinner
remains in his sin, the punishment which he deserves
should continue. And, therefore, as the virtue of the
saints is rewarded in Heaven, because it lasts for ever,
so also the guilt of the damned in Hell, because it is
everlasting, shall be chastised with everlasting torments.
" Quia non recipit causse remedium," says Eusebius
Emissenus, " carebit fine supplicium." The cause of
their perverse will continues : therefore, their chastise
ment will never have an end. The damned are so
obstinate in their sins, that even if God offered pardon,
their hatred for him would make them refuse it. The
Prophet Jeremias, speaking in the name of the repro
bate, says: Why is my sorrow become perpetual and
my wound desperate, so as to refuse to be healed?"
(Jer. xv. 18.) My wound, they say, is incurable, be
cause I do not wish it to be healed. JSTow, how can
God heal the wound of their perverse will, when they
would refuse the remedy, were it offered to them ?
Hence, the punishment of the reprobate is called a
386 SERMON L.
sword, a vengeance which is irrevocable. " I, the
Lord, have drawn my sword out of its sheath, not to be
turned back." (Ezech. xxi. 5.)
10. Death, which is so terrible in this life, is desired
in hell by the damned ; but they never shall find it.
" And in these days men shall seek death, and shall not
find it : and they shall desire to die, and death shall fly
from them." (Apoc. xi. 6.) They would wish, as a
remedy for their eternal ruin, to be exterminated and
destroyed. But " there is no poison of destruction in
them." (Wis. i. 14.) If a man, condemned to die, be
not deprived of life by the first stroke of the axe, his
torture moves the people to pity. Miserable damned
souls ! They live in continual death in the midst of
the pains of hell : tleath excites in them all the agony
of death, but does not give them a remedy by taking
away life. u Prima mors," says St. Augustine, " animam
nolentem pellit de corpore, secunda mors nolentem
tenet in corpore/' The first death expels from the
body the soul of a sinner who is unwilling to die : but
the second death — that is, eternal death — retains in the
body a soul that wishes to die. " They are laid in
hell like sheep ; death shall feed upon them." (Ps.
xlviii. 15.) In feeding, sheep eat the blades of grass,
but leave the root untouched ; hence the grass dies not,
but grows up again. It is thus that death treats the
damned ; it torments them with pain, but spares their
life, which may be called the root of suffering.
11. But, if these miserable souls have no chance of
release from hell, perhaps they can at least deceive or
flatter themselves with the hope, that God may one day
l>e moved to pity, and free them from their torments ?
No : in hell there is no delusion, no flattery, no perhaps;
the damned are as certain as they are of God's existence
that their hell shall have no end. " Thou thoughtest
unjustly that I shall be like to thee ; but I will reprove
thee, and set before thy face." (Ps. xlix. 21.) They
shall for ever see before their eyes their sins and the
sentence of their eternal condemnation. " And I will
set before thy face."
12. Let us conclude. Thus, most beloved brethren,
the affair of our eternal salvation should be the sole ob-
ETERNITY OF HELL. 387
ject of all our concerns. " The business for which we
struggle/' says St. Eucharius, " is eternity." There is
question of eternity : there is question whether we will be
saved, and be for ever happy in a city of delights, or be
damned, and confined for eternity in a pit of fire. This
is not an affair of little importance ; it is of the utmost
and of eternal importance to us. When Thomas More
was condemned to death by Henry the Eighth, his wife
Louisa went to him for the purpose of tempting him to
obey the royal command. Tell me, Lousia, replied the
holy man, how many years can I, who am now so old,
expect to live ? You might, said she, live for twenty
years. O foolish woman ! he exclaimed, do you want me
to condemn my soul to an eternity of torments for
twenty years of life ?
13. 0 God ! Christians believe in the existence of
hell, and commit sin ! Dearly beloved brethren, let
not us also be fools, like so many who are now weeping
in hell. Miserable beings ! What benefit do they now
derive from all the pleasures which they enjoyed in
this life ? Speaking of the rich and of the poor, St.
John Chrysostom said : " 0 unhappy felicity, which
has drawn the rich into eternal infelicity ! O happy
infelicity, which has brought the poor to the felicity of
eternity ! " The saints have buried themselves alive in
this life, that after death they may not find themselves
buried in hell for all eternity. If eternity were a
doubtful matter, we ought even then make every effort
in our power to escape an eternity of torments ; but no,
it is not a matter of doubt ; it is a truth of faith, that
after this life each of us must go into eternity, to be for
ever in glory or for ever in despair. St. Teresa says,
that it is through a want of faith that so many Chris
tians are lost. As often as we say the words of the
Creed, life everlasting, let us enliven our faith, and re
member that there is another life, which never ends ;
and let us adopt all the means necessary to secure a
happy eternity. Let us do all, and give up all; if
necessary, let us leave the world, in order to secure eter
nal happiness. When eternity is at stake no security
can be too great. " Nulla nimia securitas," says St.
Bernard, " ubi periclitatur Eeternitas."
388 SERMON II.
SERMON LI.— TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
Straits and anguish of dying Christians who have been
negligent during life about the duties of religion.
"Render, therefore, to Ciesar the things that are Ciusar's, and to Clod
the things that are God's." — MATT. xxii. 21.
ONE day, the Pharisees, with the malignant intention of
ensnaring him in his speech, that they might afterwards
accuse him before the ministers of Caesar, sent their dis
ciples to ask Jesus Christ, if it were lawful to pay tribute
to Caesar. In answer, the Redeemer, after looking at
the coin of the tribute, asked : " Whose image and in
scription is this ?" Being told it was Caesar's, he said:
" Render then to Cajsar the things that are Caesar's, and
to God the things that are God's." By these words
Jesus Christ wishes to teach us, that it is our duty to
give to men what is due to them ; and to reserve for him
all the affections of our heart, since he created us to love
him, and afterwards imposed upon us a precept of loving
him. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy
whole heart." Miserable the man who, at the hour of
death, shall see that he has loved creatures, that he has
loved his pleasures, and has not loved God. "When
distress cometh upon them, they will seek peace, and
there will be none." (Ezech. yii. 25.) He will then
seek peace, but shall not find it ; for many causes of
distress and trouble shall assail him. What shall these
causes be ? Behold, the unhappy man shall then say,
first : 0 God ! I could have become a saint, but have not
become one. Secondly, he shall say : Oh ! that I now
had time to repair the evil I have done ! but time is at
an end. Thirdly : Oh ! that at least, in the short time
which remains, I could remedy the past : but, alas! this
time is not fit for repairing past evils.
first Point. 0 God! I could have, but have not,
become a saint.
1. Because, during their whole life, they thought
only of pleasing God and sanctifying themselves, the
STRAITS AND ANGUISH OF DYING CHRISTIANS. 389
saints go with great confidence to meet death, which
delivers them from the miseries and dangers of the
present life, and unites them perfectly with God. But
the man who has thought only of his pleasures and of
his own ease, and has neglected to recommend himself
to God, or to reflect on the account which he must one
day render, cannot meet death with confidence. Poor
sinners ! they banish the thought of death whenever it
presents itself to them, and think only of living in plea
sures and amusements, as if they never were to die. But
for each of them the end must one day come. "The
end is come ; the end is come." (Ezech. vii, 2.) And
when this end is come every one must gather the fruit
which he has sown during his life. "For what things
a man shall sow, those also shall he reap." (Gal. vi. 8.)
If he has sown works of holiness, he shall receive rewards
of eternal life ; but if he has sown evil works, he shall
reap chastisements and eternal death.
2. The scene of his past life is the first thing which
shall rush on the mind of the dying man, when the
news of death shall be announced to him. He shall
then see things in a light far different from that
in which he viewed them during life. The acts of re
venge which appeared to him lawful — the scandals
which he disregarded — the liberty of speaking ob
scenely and injurious to the character of his neighbour
— the pleasures which were regarded as innocent — the
acts of injustice which he held to be allowable — shall
then appear what they really were : grevious sins and
offences against God, each of which merited hell. Alas !
those blind sinners, who voluntarily blind themselves
during life, by shutting their eyes to the light shall, at
death, involuntarily see all the evil they have done.
" Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened." (Is. xxxv.
5.) At the light of the candle which lights him to
death, " the wicked shall see and shall be angry," (Ps.
cxi. 10.) He shall see all the irregularities of his past
life — his frequent abuse of the sacraments, confessions
made without sorrow or purpose of amendment, con
tracts completed with remorse of conscience, injury
done to the property and reputation of others, immodest
ests, rancours, and vindictive thoughts. He shall
390 SERMON LI.
then see the bad examples which he gave to young
persons who feared God, and whom he treated with con
tempt, and turned into derision by calling them hypocrites
and other reproachful names. He shall see so many lights
and calls received from God, so many admonitions of
spiritual fathers, and so many resolutions and promises
made but afterwards neglected.
3. He shall see particularly the bad maxims by which
he regulated his conduct during life. " It is necessary to
seek the esteem of the world, and to preserve honour." But
is it necessary for a man to preserve his honour by tramp
ling on the honour due to God? "We ought to indulge in
amusements as often as we can." But is it lawful to indulge
in amusements by insulting God? " Of what use to the
world is the man who lives in poverty aud has no money ?
But, will you, for the sake of money, lose your soul? In
answer to these questions the sinner says : No matter.
What can be done ? " If we do not make a fortune in the
world we cannot appear among our equals." Such the
maxims of the worldling during life ; but at death he
shall change his language. He shall then see the truth
of that maxim of Jesus Christ: " "What doth it profit a
man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his
own soul." (Matt. xvi. 2G.) Unhappy me! the world
ling shall exclaim on the bed of death, I have had so
much time to tranquillize my conscience, and behold I am
now at the point of death, and I find my soul burdened
with so many sins ? What would it have cost me to
have broken oft' such a friendship, to have gone to con
fession every week, to have avoided certain occasions of
sin? Ah! very little, but though it should have cost
me a great deal of pain and labour, I ought to have sub
mitted to every inconvenience in order to save my soul.
Salvation is of greater importance to me than the do
minion of the entire world. But, alas ! the sentiments
of negligent Christians at death are as fruitless as the
sorrows of the damned, who mourn in hell over their
sins as the cause of their perdition, but mourn in vain.
4. At that time they derive no consolation from their
past amusements or pomps, from their exalted dignities,
or from the humiliation of their rivals. On the con
trary, at the hour of death, these things, like so many
STRAITS AND ANGUISH OF DYING CHRISTIANS. 391
swords shall pierce their hearts. " Evil shall catch the
unjust man unto destruction." (Ps. cxxxix, 12.) At
present the lovers of the world seek after banquets,
dances, games, and scenes of laughter and joy ; but, at
the time of death this laughter and joy, as St. James
says, shall be turned into mourning and affliction. "Let
your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy
into sorrow." (St. James iv. 5.) Of this we see frequent
examples. A young man who entertains his companions
by sallies of wit and by immodest jests, is seized with a
severe illness. His friends come to see him, and find him.
overwhelmed with grief and melancholy. He indulges QO
more in jests, or laughter, or conversation. If he speaks
at all, his words are words of terror or despair. His
friends ask why he speaks so despondingly — why he is so
melancholy. Have courage, they say : your illness is
not dangerous. They endeavour to inspire hope and
cheerfulness : but he is silent. And how can he be
cheerful when he feels his conscience burdened with many
sins, sees that he must soon appear before Jesus Christ
to give an account of his entire life, and that he has
much reason to fear that he shall receive the sentence
of eternal death ? He will then say : O fool that I
have been ! Oh ! that I had loved God ! Had I loved
him, I should not now find myself in these straits, in,
this anguish. Oh ! that I had time to tranquillize the
troubles of my conscience ? Let us pass to the second
point.
Second Point. Oh ! that I had time to repair the evil
I have done ! but now time is at an end.
5. Oh ! that I had time, he will say, to repair the past I
But, when will he say this ? When the oil in the lamp
is consumed : when he is on the point of entering into
eternity. One of the greatest causes of the distress and
anguish of the careless Christian at the hour of death,
is the remembrance of the bad use he has made of the
time in which he ought to have acquired merits for
heaven, and in which he has accumulated merits for
hell. Oh ! that I had time I Do you seek for time ?
You have lost so many nights in gaming, and so many
years in indulging the senses, without ever thinking of
S92 SERMON LI.
your soul ; and now you seek for time ; but time is now
no more. " Time shall be no longer." (Apoc. x. 6.)
Were you not already admonished by preachers to be
prepared for death ? were you not told that it would come
upon you when you least expected it ? " Be you ready,"
says Jesus Christ ; " for at what hour you think not the
Son of Man will come." (Luke xii. 40.) You have de
spised my admonitions, and have voluntarily squandered
trie time which my goodness bestowed upon you in spite
of your demerits ; but now time is at an end. Listen to
the words in which the priest that assists you shall tell
you to depart from this world : Proficisere anima Chris
tiana de hoc mundo. Go forth, Christian soul, from this
world. And where shall you go ? To eternity, to
eternity. Death respects neither parents nor monarchs ;
when it comes, it does not wait even for a moment.
" Thou hast appointed his bounds, which cannot be
passed." (Job xiv. 5.)
6. Oh ! what terror shall the dying man feel at hear
ing the assisting priest tell him to depart from this world !
what dismay shall he experience in saying with himself:
"This morning I am living, and this evening I shall be dead !
" To-day I am in this house ; to-morrow I shall be in the
grave : and where shall my soul be found ? His terror
shall be increased when he sees the death-candle lighted,
and when he hears the confessor order the relatives to
withdraw from his chamber, and to return to it no more.
It shall be still more increased when the confessor gives
him the crucifix, and tells him to embrace it, saying :
" Embrace Jesus Christ, and thinkno more of this world."
He takes the crucifix and kisses it ; but, in kissing it, he
trembles at the remembrance of the many injuries which
he has offered to Jesus Christ. He would now wish to
repent sincerely of all his injuries to his Saviour,
but he sees that his repentance is forced by the
necessity of his approaching death. "He," says St.
Augustine, " who is abandoned by sin before he
abandons it, condemns it not freely, but through ne
cessity."
7. The common delusion of worldlings is, that earthly
things appear great, and that the things of Heaven,
as being distant and uncertain, appear to be of
STRAITS AND ANGUISH OF DYING CHRISTIANS. 393
little value. They regard tribulations as insupportable,
and grievous sins as unimportant. The miserable beings
are as if they were shut up in a room filled with smoke,
which hinders them from seeing objects before their
eyes. But at the hour of death this darkness shall vanish,
and the soul shall begin to see things in their real colours.
At that hour all temporal things appear to be what they
really are — vanity, lies, and deception; and the things of
eternity assume their true value. Oh ! how important
shall judgment, hell, and eternity, which are so much
disregarded during life, appear at the time of death.
According as these shall begin to put on their true
colours, the fears of the dying man shall increase. " In
morte," says St. Gregory, " tanto timor fit acrior, quanto
retributio vicinior; et quanto vicinius judicium tangitur,
tanto vehementius formidator." (Mor. 25.) The nearer
the sentence of the Judge approaches, the more sensible
the fear of condemnation becomes. Hence the sick man
will say : * ' Oh ! in what anguish do I die ! TJ nhappy me !
Oh ! that I knew that so unhappy a death awaited me !"
You have not known ; but you ought to have foreseen
it; for you knew that a good death could not be expected
after a wicked life. But, since I must soon die, oh! that
I could at least, in the little time that remains, tranquil
lize my conscience ! Let us pass to the third point.
Third Point. Oh ! that I could, in the little time
that remains, repair the past ! But, alas ! this time is
not fit for repairing past evils.
8. The time allowed to careless Christians at the
hour of death, is, for two reasons, unfit for tranquillizing
the troubles of their conscience. First, because this
time will be very short ; for at the commencement, and
for some days during the progress, of the disease, the
sick man thinks only of physicians, of remedies, and of
making his last will. During that time his relatives,
friends, and even the physicians deceive him by hold
ing out hopes of recovery. Hence, deluded by these
hopes, he will not be able for some time to persuade
himself that his death is at hand. When shall he begin
to persuade himself that death is near? Only when he
shall be at the very point of death. This is the second
394
SERMON LI.
reason why that time is unfit for repairing the evils of
the soul. At that time the dying man is sick in mind
as well as in body. He shall be assailed by pains in
the chest, spasms in the head, debility, and delirium.
Those shall render him unable to make any effort to
excite a true detestation of his past sins, or to apply to
the disorders of his past life a remedy which will calm
the terrors of his conscience. The news of his approach
ing death will astound him to such a degree, that he
shall be scarcely half alive.
9. A person labouring under a severe headache,
which deprives him of sleep for two or three nights, will
not even attempt to dictate a letter of ceremony. And
at death when he feels but little, understands but little,
and sees only a confusion of things which fills him with
terror, the careless Christian adjusts a conscience bur
dened with the sins of thirty or forty years. Then are
verified the words of the gospel : "'The night cometh
when no man worketh." (John ix. 4.) Then his con
science will say to him : " Now thou canst be steward
no longer/'* (Luke xvi. 2.) There is no more time for
negotiation ; what has been done, is done. " When dis
tress cometh upon them, they will seek for peace, and
there shall be none. Trouble shall come upon trouble."
(Ezech. vii. 25, 26.)
10. It is often said of a person that he led a bad life,
but afterwards died a good death ; that by his sighs
aud tears he gave proofs of sincere repentance.
"Morientes non delicti pccnitentia," says St. Augustine,
"sed mortis urgentis admonitio compellit." (Serm. xxxvi.)
The wailing of such persons proceeds not from sorrow
for their sins, but from the fear of imminent death.
He was not afraid of sinning, says the holy doctor, but
of burning. " Non meteuit peccare, sed adere." (Epis.
cxiv.) Till this moment the dying man has loved sinful
objects : will he now detest them ? Perhaps he will
then love them with more tenderness ; for the objects
of our affections become more dear to us when we are
afraid of losing them. The celebrated master of St.
Bruno died with signs of repentance ; but when laid in
the coffin, he said that he was damned. If, at the hour
of death, even the saints complain that on account of
STRAITS AND ANGUISH OF DYING CHRISTIANS. 395
the state of the head, they can think but little of God,
or make hut little effort to excite good acts, how can
the negligent Christian make these acts at death, when
he was not in the habit of making them during life ?
It may be said that he appeared to have a sincere sorrow
for the wickedness of his past life. But, was his sorrow
true sorrow ? The devil persuades him that the wish
to have sorrow is true sorrow ; but he deceives him.
The dying man will say : " I am sorry from the bottom of
my heart," etc. ; but these words shall come from a heart
of stone. " From the midst of the rocks they shall give
forth their voices." (Ps. ciii. 12.) But he has fre
quently been at confession, and has received all the
sacraments ; he has died in perfect resignation. Ah !
the criminal who goes to be executed, appears to be
perfectly resigned : but why ? Because he cannot
escape from the officers of justice, who bring him in
chains to the place of execution.
11. 0 moment on which eternity depends! This
moment made the saints tremble at the hour of death,
and made them exclaim : " 0 God ! where shall I be in a
few hours ?" " Sometimes," says St. Gregory, " the soul
even of the just man is disturbed by the terror of ven
geance.'' (Mor. xxiv.) "What, then, shall the careless
Christian, who has disregarded God, feel when he sees
the scaffold prepared on which he must die ? '* His
eyes shall see his own destruction, and he shall drink of
the wrath of the Almighty." (Job xxi. 20.) He shall
see with his own eyes death prepared for his soul, and
shall from that moment begin to feel the anger of the
Lord. The viaticum which he must receive, the extreme
unction which will be administered to him, the crucifix
which is placed in his hands, the recommendation of
the soul which is read by the assisting priest, the
lighting of the blessed candle — all these shall form the
scaffold of divine justice. The poor sick man perceives
that he is already in a cold sweat, that he can no longer
move or speak, that his respiration has begun to fail :
in a word, he sees that the moment of death is at hand ;
he sees his soul defiled with sins ; the Judge waiting for
him ; hell burning under his feet ; and in this confusion
of darkness and terror he shall enter into eternity.
396 SERMON LIT.
12. " 0 that they would be wise, and would under
stand, and would provide for their last end." (Deut.
xxxii. 29.) Behold, dearly beloved brethren, how the
Holy Ghost exhorts us to provide now for the terrible
straits and distress by which we shall be encompassed
at death, and to adjust at present the accounts which
we must render to God ; for it will be then impossible
to settle these accounts so as to save our souls. My
crucified Jesus, I will not wait till death to embrace
thee ; I embrace thee at this moment. I love thee
above all things ; and because I love thee, I repent
with my whole heart of all the offences and insults I
have offered to thee, who art infinite goodness ; and I
purpose and hope, with thy grace, to love thee always,
and never more to offend thee. Through the merits of
thy passion I ask thee to assist me.
SERMON LIL— TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
On impenitence.
" Lord, my daughter is even now dead." — MATT. ix. 18.
How great is God's goodness ! how difficult it is [to
obtain pardon from a man whom we have offended !
when sinners cast themselves at the feet of the Lord
with humility and with sorrow for having offended
him, he instantly pardons and embraces them. " Turn
to me, saith the Lord of Hosts, and I will turn to you/'
(Zach. i. 3.) Sinners, says the Lord, I have turned my
back on you, because you first turned your back on me:
return to me, and I will return to you and will embrace
you. When rebuked by the Prophet Nathan, David
repented, and said: " I have sinned against the Lord; I
have offended my God." David was instantly pardoned :
for at the very moment that he confessed his guilt,
Nathan said to him : " The Lord also hath taken away
thy sin." (2 Kings xii. 13.) But let us come to the
gospel of the day, in which we find that a certain
ruler, whose daughter was dead, went immediately to
IMPENITENCE. 397
Jesus Christ, and asked him to restore her to life:
" Lord, my daughter is even now dead ; but come, lay
thy hand upon her, and she shall live." In explaining
this passage, St. Bonaventure turns to the sinner, and
says : " Your daughter is your soul ; she even now is
deadly sin; hasten your conversion/' Brother, your
soul is your daughter, that has just died by committing
sin. Eeturn immediately to God. Hasten ; if you
delay, and defer your conversion from day to day, the
wrath of God shall suddenly come upon you, and you
shall be cast into hell. " Delay not to be converted to
the Lord, and defer it not from day to day." (Eccl. v.
8, 9.) Behold the sermon for this day, in which I will
show, first, the danger to which he who is in the state of
sin, and defers his conversion, is exposed ; and secondly,
the remedy to be adopted by him who is in sin, and
wishes to save his soul.
First Point. The danger to which a person in sin,
who defers his conversion, is exposed.
1. St. Augustine considers three states of Christians.
The first is the state of those who have always preserved
their baptismal innocence ; the second is the state of
those who have fallen into sin, and have afterwards re
turned to God, and persevered in grace ; the third is of
those who have fallen and have always relapsed into
sin, and are found in that unhappy state at death.
Speaking of the first and second class, he pronounces
them secure of salvation ; but, speaking of the third he
says : "Non dico, non praesumo, non promitto." (Horn,
xli. int. 50.) " I do not say ; I do not presume ; I do not
promise." He neither says, nor presumes, nor promises,
that such sinners^are saved. From these words it ap
pears that, in his opinion, it is very improbable that
they obtain eternal life. St. Thomas teaches (2, 2, qu.
109, a. 8) that he who is in the state of mortal sin can
not long abstain from the commission of some new sin.
And St. Gregory says: " A sin which is not blotted out
by repentance by its weight soon draws to another sin ;
hence it is not only a sin, but the cause of sin." (1. 3,
Mor. c. ix.) One sin^is the cause of another, because,
in the sinner reason is disordered, and inclines him to
evil; and therefore he cannot long resist temptation.
398
SERMON LIT.
" Quando," says St. Anselm, " quis manet in peccato,
ratio jam est deordinata et ideo veniente tentatione
faciet id quod est facilius agere." Hence, according
to the holy doctor, though they understand the great
advantage of sanctifying grace, sinners, because they
are deprived of grace, always relapse, in spite of all
their efforts to avoid sin. " Per peccatum non potest
prosequi bonum quod cogniscit, conatur et labitur."
But how can the branch that is cut off from the vine
produce fruit? "As," says Jesus Christ, "the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine,
so neither can you, unless you abide in me." (John
xv. 4.)
2. But some young persons may say: " I will hereafter
give myself to God." Behold the false hope of sinners,
which leads them to remain in sin till death, and from
death conducts them to hell ! Who are you that say,
you will hereafter give yourself to God ? But who, I
ask, promises you that you shall have time to give
yourself to God, and that you shall not meet with a
sudden death, which will take you out of this world
before you give yourself to him? "He," says St.
Gregory, ^ " who has promised pardon to penitents has
not promised to-morrow to sinners." (Horn. xii. in Ev.)
The Lord has promised pardon to all who repent of
their sins ; but to those who wish to continue in sin he
has not promised time for repentance. Do you say,
hereafter ? But Jesus Christ tells you that time is in
the hand of God, and not under your control. " It is
not for you to know the times or moments which the
Father has put in his own power." (Acts i. 7.) We
read in the Gospel of St. Luke, that Jesus Christ, seeing
a fig-tree which was fruitless for three years, ordered it
to be cut down. "He said to the dresser of the vine-
3^ard : Behold, for these three years I come seeking
fruit on this fig-tree, and I find none. Cut it down
therefore. Why cumbereth it the ground ?" (Luke xiii.
7.) Tell me, you who say that you will hereafter give
yourself to God, for what purpose does he preserve
your life ? Is it that you may continue to insult him
by sin ? No ; he gives you life that you may renounce
sin, and change your conduct. " Knowest thou not that
IMPENITENCE. 399
the benignity of God leadeth thee to penance ?" (Rom.
ii. 4.) But you are resolved not to amend ; and if you
wish to give yourself to God only hereafter, he will say
of your soul to the dresser of his vineyard: "Cut it
down. Why cumbereth it the ground ?" Why should
such a sinner be allowed to remain on earth ? Is it to
continue to offend me ? Cat down this fruitless tree, and
cast it into the fire. " Every tree, therefore, that doth
not yield good fruit, shall be cut down, and cast into the
fire." (Matt. iii. 10.)
3. But, should God hereafter give you time for re
pentance, will you, if you do not now repent, return to
him hereafter ? Sins, like so many chains, keep the
sinner in bondage. " He is first bound with the ropes
of his own sins." (Prov. v. 22.) My brother, if you
cannot now break the cords by which you are at present
bound, will you be able to break them hereafter, when
they shall be doubled by the commission of new sins ?
To give him an idea of the degree of folly which impeni
tent sinners reach, our Lord showed one day to the
Abbot Arsenius, an Ethiopian, who, not being able to
raise a load of faggots, added to their weight, and thus
became less liable to raise it. Sinners, said the Saviour
to the holy abbot, act in a similar manner. They wish
to get rid of their past sins, and, at the same time, com
mit new ones. These new sins shall lead them into others
more numerous and more enormous. Cain sinned against
his brother, first, by envy ; then, by hatred ; and after
wards, by murder ; finally, he despaired of the divine
mercy, saying : " My iniquity is greater than that I may
obtain pardon." (Gen. iv. 13.) Judas also was first
guilty of the sin of avarice ; he then betrayed Jesus
Christ, and afterwards hanged himself. Sins chain the
sinner, and make him their slave, so that he knowingly
brings himself to destruction. " His own iniquities catch
the wicked/' (Prov. v. 22.)
4. Moreover, his sins weigh down the sinner to such
a degree, that he no longer regards heaven nor his own
salvation. ^ « My iniquities," said David with tears,
" are growing over my head, and, as a heavy burden,
are become heavy upon me." (Ps. xxxvii. 5.) Hence
the miserable man loses reason, thinks only of earthly
400 SERMON LII.
goods, and thus forgets the divine judgments. " And
they perverted their own minds, and turned away their
eyes, that they might not look unto heaven, nor re
member just judgments." (Dan. xiii. 9.) He even
hates the light, because he fears that it will interrupt his
criminal pleasures. " Every one that doth evil hateth
the light/' (John iii. 20.) Hence, he becomes miserably
blind, and goes round about continually from sin to sin.
" The wicked walk round about." (Ps. xi. 9.) He then
despises admonitions, divine calls, hell, heaven, and
God. "The wicked, when he is come into the depth of
sins, comtemneth." (Prov. xviii. 3.)
5. " He hath," says Job, " torn me with wound upon
wound, he hath rushed in upon me like a giant." (Job
xvi. 15.) By conquering one temptation, a man acquires
not only additional strength to repel future assaults,
but also diminishes the power of the devil. And, on
the other hand, when we yield to any temptation, the
devil becomes like a giant, and we become so weak,
that we have scarcely strength to resist him any longer.
If you receive a wound from an enemy you lose
strength. If to this new wounds be added you shall
be exhausted, and rendered unable to defend yourself.
This is what happens to the fools who say: "I will here
after give myself to God." How can they resist the
attacks of the devil, after they have lost their strength,
and after their wounds have mortified ? " My sores
are putrefied and corrupted, because of my foolishness."
(Ps. xxxvii. 6.) At its commencement a wound is
easily healed ; but when it becomes gangrenous, the
cure is most difficult. Recourse must be had to the
cautery ; but even this remedy is in many cases inef
fectual.
6. But further, St. Paul teaches, that God " will have
all men to be saved " (1 Tim. ii. 4) ; and that Jesus
Christ came on earth for the salvation of sinners:
" Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners." (1
Tim. i. 15.) God certainly wills the salvation of all
who desire it : he wills the salvation of those who wish
to save their souls ; but not of those who labour for
their own damnation. Jesus Christ has come to save
sinners. To save our souls, two things are necessary :
IMPEXITKKCE. 401
first, the grace of God ; and secondly, your own co
operation. " Behold, I stand at the gate and knock: if
any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door,
I will come unto him." (Apoc. iii. 20.) Then, in order
that God may enter into us by his grace, we must, on
our part, ohey his calls, and open our hearts to him.
Likewise, St. Paul says, " with fear and trembling work
out your salvation." (Phil. ii. 12.) He says, ^vork out.
Then we, too, must co-operate to our salvation by good
works ; otherwise the Lord will only give us sufficient
grace by which we shall be able to save our souls, but
by which we certainly will not save them. Behold, the
reason : he who is in the state of sin, and continues to
commit sin, is daily more and more attached to the flesh,
and more removed from God. Now, how can God, by
his grace, approach to us, when we withdraw farther
from him ? He then retires from us, and becomes less
liberal of his favours. " And I will make it desolate —
and I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it."
(Isa. v. 6.) When the soul continues to offend God he
abandons her, and withdraws his helps. Hence she
shall cease to feel remorse of conscience ; she shall be
left without light ; and the blindness of her understand
ing and the hardness of her heart shall be increased.
She shall become utterly insensible to the calls of God,
to the maxims of faith, and to the melancholy examples
of other rebellious souls that have closed their career in
hell.
"But who knows," the obstinate sinner will say, "but
God will show me the same mercy which he has ^hown to
certain great sinners? In answer to this, St. Chrysostom
says: "Fortasse dabit, inquis: cur dicis fortasse ? Con-
tigit aliquando; sed cogita quod de anima deliberas?"
(Horn. xxii. in 2 Cor.) You say : " Perhaps God will give
me the grace of salvation.3' But why do you say perhaps?
Is it because he has sometimes given to great sinners the
grace of eternal life ? But remember, says the holy
doctor, that there is question of your soul, which, if
once lost, is lost for ever. I, too, take you up, and
admit that God has, by certain extraordinary graces,
saved some enormous sinners. But these cases are very
rare ; they are prodigies and miracles of grace, by
2c
402 SERMON LIT.
which God wished to show the boundlessness of his
mercy. But, ordinarily, sinners who wish to continue
in sin, are, in the end, cast into hell. On them are
executed the threats of the Lord against obstinate sin
ners. " You have despised my counsels, and neglected
my reprehensions. I also will laugh in your destruc
tion. . . . Then they will call on me, and I will not hear."
(Prov. i. 25, 26, 28.) I, says the Lord, have called on
them again and again, but they have refused to hear
me. " But they did not hear nor incline their ears ;
but hardened their neck, that they might not hear me."
(Jer. xvii. 23.) Now they call upon me, it is but just
that I refuse to listen to their cries. God bears, but he
does not bear for ever; when the time of vengeance
arrives he punishes past and present iniquities. " For
the Most High is a patient rewarder." (Eccl. v. 4.) And
according to St. Augustine, the longer God has waited
for negligent sinners the more severely he will chastise
them. " Quanto diutius expectat Deus, ut emenderis ;
tanto gravius judicabit, si neglexeris." (Lib. de util. ag.
prcn.) He who promises to amend, and wilfully neglects
to return to God, is unworthy of the grace of true re
pentance.
But God is full of mercy . He is full of mercy; but
he is not so stupid as to act without reason : to show
mercy to those who continue to insult him would be
stupidity, and not goodness. " Is thy eye evil because
I am good ?" (Matt. xx. 15.) Will you persevere in
wickedness because I am bountiful ? God is good, but
he'is also just, and exhorts us all to observe his law, if
we wish to save our souls. "If thou wilt enter into
life keep the commandments." (Matt. xix. 17.) Were
God to show mercy to the wicked as well as to the just,
and to give to all the grace of conversion before death,
he would hold out a strong temptation even to the saints
to commit sin : but, no ! when his mercies have reached
their term he punishes, and pardons no more. " And
my eye shall not spare thee, and I will show thee
no pity." (Ezec. vii. 4.) Hence he says : Pray that
your flight may not be in the winter or on the Sabbath."
(Matt. xxiv. 20.) We are prevented from working in
the winter by the cold, and on the Sabbath by the
IMPENITENCE. 4Q3
law. In this passage the Redeemer gives us to under
stand that, for impenitent sinners, a time shall come
when they would wish to give themselves to God, but
shall find themselves prevented by their bad habits from
returning to him. Of this there are numberless melan
choly examples. In his sermons on a happy death,
Cataneus relates, that a dissolute young man, when ad
monished to give up his wickedness, said: I have a saint
who js omnipotent, and this is the mercy of God. Death
came ; the unhappy man sent for a confessor ; but while
he was preparing for confession, the Devil wrote down
before his eyes all his sins. He was seized with terror,
and exclaimed : Alas ! what a long catalogue of sins !
And before he was able to make his confession he
expired. In his sermons for Sundays Campadelli relates
that a young nobleman addicted to sins of the flesh, was
warned by God and by men to amend his life ; but he
despised all their admonitions. He afterwards fell into
a severe illness, confessed his sins, and promised to
change his life ; but, after his recovery, he returned to
the vomit. Behold the vengeance of God ! Being one
day in a field^ during the vintage, he took fever, went
home, and feeling that the disease was far advanced, he
sent in haste for a priest who lived near the house. The
priest comes, enters the house, salutes the sick man, but
sees a frightful spectacle, the eyes and mouth open, the
face black as jet. He calls the sick man, but finds that
he is dead. Dearly beloved brethren, take care that you,
top, be not miserable examples of the justice of God.
Give up sin ; but give it up from this moment; for, if
you continue to commit sin, the same vengeance which
has fallen on so many others shall also fall on you. Let
us come to the remedy.
Second Point. The remedy for those who find them
selves in sin, and wish to save their souls.
9. Jesus Christ was one day asked, if the number of
the elect is small. " Lord, are they few that are saved?
But he said to them: Strive to enter by the narrow
gate ; for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and
they shall not be able." (Luke xiii. 23, 24.) He says
that many seek to enter heaven, but do not enter ; and
404 SERMON LII.
why ? Because they wish to obtain eternal life without
inconvenience, and without making strong efforts to
abstain from forbidden pleasures. Therefore, he said :
"strive to enter at the narrow gate." The gate of
heaven is narrow : to enter it we must labour, and
must do violence to ourselves. And we ought to be
persuaded that what we can do to-day we shall not be
always able to do hereafter. The delay of conversion
sends many Christians to hell : the weakness, darkness,
and obduracy of the soul are, as we have already said,
daily increased, and the divine helps are diminished.
Thus, the soul shall die in her sins. You say: I will
hereafter return to God. Then you know that, to save
your soul, you must renounce sin — why do you not give
it up now that God calls you to repentance ? If at some
time, says St. Augustine, why not now ? The time which
you now have to repair the past shall not be given to
you hereafter ; and the mercy which God shows you at
present will not be extended to you at^a future time. If,
then, you wish to save your soul, do ^ immediately what
you must one day do. Go to confession as soon as pos
sible, and tremble lest every delay may be the eternal
ruin of your soul.
10. "Nullus," says St. Fulgentius, "sub spe miseri-
cordicc debet diutius in peccatis remanere, cum nolit in
corpore sub spe diutius segrotare." (St. Fulg. ad Petr.
Diac.) Were a physician, says the saint, to offer you a
remedy for sickness, would you say : I do not wish to be
cured at present, because I hope to recover hereafter ?
And when there is a question of the salvation of your
soul, you say : I will remain in sin, because I hope
that God will be merciful to me at a future time. But
if, according to his just judgments, the Lord should not
show you mercy hereafter, what shall become of you? —
shall you not be damned ? Let us, says the Apostle,
do good while we have time to do it. "Therefore/
whilst we have time let us work good to all men."
(Gal. vi. 10.) For time may not be given to us to
do good hereafter. Hence the Lord exhorts us to
guard our souls with great care; because we know
not the hour when he will come to demand an
account of our life. "Watch ye, therefore, because
IMPENITENCE. 405
you know not the day nor the hour." (Matt. XXY.
18.)
11. "My soul is continually in my hands." (Ps.
cxviii. 109.) He who wears on his finger a ring con
taining a diamond of great value, looks frequently at the
ring to see if the diamond be secure : it is thus we ought
to watch over our souls. And should we see that it has
been lost by sin, we ought instantly to adopt every
means in our power to recover it. We ought to turn
immediately to Jesus, our Saviour, like Magdalene, who,
as soon as she knew that he sat at meat, ran to him, cast
herself at his feet, and by her tears obtained pardon.
(Luke vii. 37.) " Now the axe is laid to the root of the
tree._" (Luke iii. 9.) For all who are found in sin, the axe
of divine justice is at hand to take away their life as soon
as the time of vengeance arrives. Arise, then Christian
souls, and if you_are bound by any bad habit, burst your
chains, and remain no longer the slaves of Satan. " Loose
the bonds from off thy neck, 0 captive daughter of Zion."
(Isa. Hi. 2.) ^Posuisti vestigium/' says St. Ambrose,
" supra voraginem culpao, cito aufer pedem." You have
placed your foot on the mouth of a vortex — that is, on
sin, which is the mouth of hell : take away your foot,
and retire ; otherwise you shall fall into an unfathom
able abyss.
12. I find myself subject to an evil habit. But, if you
wish to give up sin, who can force you to commit it ?
All bad habits and all the temptations of hell are over
come by the grace of God. Recommend yourself to the
heart of Jesus Christ, and he will give you grace to
conquer all enemies. But should you be in any proxi
mate occasion of sin you must immediately take it away,
otherwise you shall relapse. " Potius prroscinde," says
St. Jerome, " quam solve." Do not wait to loose your
bonds gradually; cut them by a single stroke. The
devil seeks to make you slow in shaking off your
fetters. Look for a good confessor; he will tell you
what to do. And should you have the misfortune of
falling hereafter into any mortal sin, go immediately to
confession, even on the same day or the same night, if
you can. Finally, listen to what I now say to you : God
is ready to assist you : if you wish, it is in your power
406 SERMON LIII.
to save your souls. Tremble, brethren, lest these words
of mine, if you despise them, should be for you so many
swords in hell for all eternity.
SERMON LIII.— TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST.
On Blasphemy.
"When, therefore, you shall see the abomination of desolation."—
MATT. xxiv. 15.
ALL sins are hateful in the sight of God ; but the sin of
blasphemy ought more properly to be called an abomi
nation to the Lord. Every mortal sin, as the Apostle
says, dishonours God. " By transgression of the law,
thou dishonourest God." (Rom. ii. 23.) Other sins dis
honour God indirectly by the violation of his law ; but
blasphemy dishonours him directly by the profanation
of his most holy name. Hence St. Chrysostom teaches,
that no sin exasperates the Lord so much as the sin of
blasphemy against his adorable name. " Nihil ita
exacerbat Deum, sicut quando nomen ejus blasphema-
tur." Dearly beloved Christians, allow me, then, this
day, to show you, first, the great enormity of the sin of
blasphemy ; and secondly, the great rigour with which
God punishes it.
First Point. On the great enormity of the sin of
blasphemy.
1. What is blasphemy ? It is the uttering of lan
guage injurious to God ; it is, according to the defini
tion of theologians, " contumeliosa in Deum locutio ;" or,
contumely against God. 0 God ! whom does man
assail when he blasphemes ? He directly attacks the
Lord. "He hath strengthened himself against the
Almighty." (Job. xv. 25.) Are you not afraid, 0 blas
phemer, says St. Ephrem, that fire will come down
from heaven and devour you ? or that the earth shall
open and swallow you up ? " Non metuis ne forte ignis
de ccelo descendat et devoret te, qui sic os adversus
BLASPHEMY. 407
omnipotentem aperis ? Neque vereris, ne terra te ab-
sorbeat?" (Paren. 3.) The devil, says St. Gregory
Nazianzen, trembles at the name of Jesus : and we are
not afraid to profane it. " Domones ad Christi nomen
exhorrescunt, nos vero nomen adeo venerandum con-
tumelia afficere nou veremur." (Orat. xx.) The vin
dictive assail a man who is their own equal ; but, by
their blasphemies blasphemers appear to seek revenge
against God, who does or permits what is displeasing to
them. There is a great difference between an act of
contempt towards the portrait of a king, and an insult
offered to his person. Man is the image of God ; but the
blasphemer offends God himself. " He who blasphemes/'
says St. Athanasius, " acts against the very Deity itself."
The man who violates the law is guilty of a crime ; but
he who attacks the person of his sovereign commits an
act of treason ; therefore he receives no mercy, but is
chastised with the utmost severity. What, then, shall
we say of the man who blasphemes and insults the
majesty of God ? " If," says the high-priest Heli, "one
man shall sin against another, God may be appeased in
his behalf; but if a man shall sin against the Lord, who
shall pray for him ? " (1 Kings ii. 25.) The sin of blas
phemy, then, is so enormous, that the saints themselves
appear not to have courage to pray for a blasphemer.
2. Some sacrilegious tongues blaspheme the God who
preserves their existence ! " Tu Deo benefacienti tibi,"
says St. Chrysostom, " et tui curam agenti maledicis."
O God ! you stand with one foot at the gate of hell ;
and if God, in his marcy, did not preserve your life
you should be damned for ever : and, instead of thank
ing him for his goodness, you, at the very time that he
bestows his favours upon you, blaspheme his holy
name. " If," says the Lord, " my enemy hath reviled
me, I would verily have borne with it. (Ps. liv. 13.)
Had you treated me with contumely and insult at the
time that I chastised you, I would be more willing to
bear with your impiety; but you revile me at the
time that I confer my favours upon you. 0 diabolical
tongue ! exclaims St. Bernardine of Sienna, what could
have induced you to blaspheme your God, who has
created you, and redeemed you with his blood ? "0
408 SERMON 1,111.
lingua diabolica, quid, potest te inducere^ad blasphe-
mandum Deus tuum qui te plasmavit, qui te pretioso
sanguine redemit?" (Serm. xxxiii.) Some expressly
blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ — of that God who
died on a cross for the love of them. 0 God ! if we
were not subject to death, we should be glad to die for
Jesus Christ, in order to make some little return of
gratitude to a God who gave his life for us. I say, a
little return of gratitude ; for there is no comparison
between the death of a miserable creature, and the death
of a God. But instead of loving and blessing this God,
you, as St. Augustine says, revile and curse him. " Christ
was scourged by the lash of the Jews; but he is not less
scourged by the blasphemies of false Christians." (S.
Aug. in Joan.) Some have blasphemed and insulted
the Virgin Mary, that good mother, who loves us so
tenderly, and prays continually for us. Some of these
blasphemers have received a horrible chastisement from
God. Surius relates, in the 7th August, that a certain
impious Christian blasphemed the blessed Virgin, and
pierced her image with a dagger. As soon as he went
out of the church to which the image belonged, he was
struck by a thunderbolt, and reduced to ashes. The
infamous Nestorious blasphemed, and induced others to
blaspheme, most holy Mary, by asserting that she was
not the mother of God. But, before death, his im
pious tongue was eaten away by worms, and he died in
despair.
3. "Who is this who speaketh blasphemies?" (Luke
v. 21.) He is a Christian who has received the holy sacra
ment of baptism, in which his tongue has been in a cer
tain manner consecrated to God. A learned author
says, that on the tongue of all who are baptized is
placed blessed salt, " that the tongues of Christians may
be made, as it were, sacred, and may be accustomed to
bless God." (Clericat. torn. 1. Dec. Tract. 52.) And the
blasphemer afterwards makes his tongue, as St. Ber-
nardine says, a sword to pierce the heart of God.
u Lingua blasphemantis efficitur quasi gladius cor Dei
penetrans." (Tom. 4. serm. xxxiii.) Hence the saint adds
that no sin contains in itself so much malice as the sin of
blasphemy. " Kullum est peccatum quod habet in se
BLASPHEMY. 409
tantem iniquitatem sicut blasphemia." St. Chrysostom
says, that " there is no sin worse than blasphemy; for in
it is the accumulation of all evils, and every punishment."
St. Jerome teaches the same doctrine. " Nothing," says
the holy doctor, " is more horrible than blasphemy ; for
every sin, compared with blasphemy, is small." (In Isa.
cxviii.) And here it is necessary to observe, that blas
phemies against the saints, against holy things or holi
days — such as the sacraments, the Mass, Easter Sunday,
Christmas Day, Holy Saturday — are of the same species
as blasphemies against God ; for St. Thomas teaches,
that, as the honour paid to the saints, to holy things,
and holidays, is referred to God, so an insult offered to
the saints is injurious to God, who is the foundation of
sanctity. " Sicut Deus, in sanctis suis laudatur," as we
read in the 150th Psalm, " laudate Dominum in sanctis
ejus, ita et blasphemia in sanctos in Deum redundat."
(S. Thorn, qu. 13, a 1 3, a 1, ad 2.) The saint adds, that
blasphemy is one of the greatest of the sins against
religion. (Ibid. a. 3.)
4. Thus, from the works of St. Jerome we may
infer, that blasphemy is more grievous than theft, than
adultery, or murder. All other sins, says St. Bernar-
dine proceeds from frailty or ignorance ; but the sin of
blasphemy proceeds from malice. " Omnia alia peccata
vindentur procedere partim ex fragilitate, partim ex ig-
norantia, sed peccatum blasphemia procedit ex propria
malitia." (Cic. serm. xxx.) For it proceeds from a bad
will, and from a certain hatred conceived against God.
Hence the blasphemer renders himself like the damned,
who, as St. Thomas says, do not now blaspheme with
the mouth — for they have no body, — but with the
heart, cursing the divine justice which punishes them.
" The detestation of the divine justice is in them an in
terior blasphemy of the heart." (S. Thorn. 2, 2, qu. 13,
a. 4.) ^ The saint adds, that we may believe that as the
saints in heaven, after the resurrection shall praise God
with the tongue, so the reprobates in hell shall also blas
pheme him with the tongue. " Et credibile est quod
post resurrectionem erit in eis etiam vocalis blasphemia)
sicut in sanctis vocalis laus Dei." Justly, then, has
a learned author called blasphemy the language of
410
SERMON LIU.
hell ; because, as God speaks by the mouth of the saints
so the devil speaks by the mouth of blasphemers.
" Blasphemia est peccatum diabolicum, loquela infer-
nalis : sicut enim Spiritus Sanctus loquitur per bonos
ita et diabolus per blasphemos." )Mansi. Discors, 7,
num. 2.) When St. Peter denied Christ in the Palace of
Pilate, and swore that he did not know him, the Jews
said, that his language showed that he was a disciple of
Jesus, because he spoke the language of his Master.
" Surely," they said, "thou also art one of them;
for even thy speech doth discover thee." (Matt. xxvi.
73.) Thus we may say to every blasphemer : You are
from hell ; you are a true disciple of Lucifer ; for you
speak the language of the damned. St. Antonine
writes, that the entire occupation of the damned in.
hell consists in blaspheming and cursing God. " Noil
aliud apus inferno exercent nisi blasphemare Deum et
maledicere." (Part 2, tit. 7, cap. iii.) In proof of this
doctrine the saint adduces the following text of the
Apocalypse : " And they gnawed their tongues for
pain: and they blasphemed the God of heaven." (Apoc.
xvi. 10, 11.) The holy doctor afterwards adds, that he
who indulges in the vice of blasphemy, already belongs
to the number of the damned, because he practises their
art. " Qui ergo hoc vitio detinetur ostendit se per-
tinere ad statum damnatorum, ex quo exercet artem
eorum." (Ibid.)
5. To the malice of blasphemy is added the malice of
scandal, which generally accompanies blasphemy ; for
this sin is ordinarily committed externally and in pre
sence of others. St. Paul reproved the Jews, because
by their sins they caused the Gentiles to blaspheme our
God, and to laugh at his law. "For the name of God,
through you, is blasphemed by the Gentiles." (Rom. ii.
24.) But how much more criminal are Christians, who,
by their blasphemies, induce other Christians to imitate
their example! How does it happen, that in certain
provinces blasphemies are never, or at least very
seldom, heard, and that in other places this horrible
vice is so prevalent, that the Lord may say of them :
" My name is continually blasphemed all the day long."
(Isa. Iii, 5.) In the squares, houses, cities, villas, nothing
BLASPHEMY. 411
is heard but blasphemies. How does this happen ?
Some of the inhabitants learn to blaspheme from others :
children from their parents, servants from their masters,
the young from the old. In some families particularly
the vice of blasphemy seems to be transmitted as an in
heritance. The father is a blasphemer ; hence, the sons
and nephews blaspheme : to this inheritance their de
scendants succeed. 0 accursed father ! Instead of
instructing your children to bless the name of God, you
teach them to blaspheme him and his saint. " But I re
prove them when they blaspheme in my presence." Of
what use are these reproofs, when with your own
mouth you give them bad example. For God's sake,
for God's sake, O fathers of families, never blaspheme ;
but be particularly on your guard never to blaspheme
in presence of your children. This is a crime which
God can no longer bear in you. And whenever you
hear any of your children utter a blasphemy, reprove
them severely, and, in obedience to the advice of St.
Chrysostom, strike him on the mouth, and you shall
thus sanctify your hand. " Contere os ipsius, manum
tuam percussione sanctificat." (Horn. i. ad pop.) Certain
fathers unmercifully beat a child for the neglect of
some temporal business ; but if he blaspheme the saints,
they either laugh at his blasphemies, or listen to them
in silence. St. Gregory relates (Dial. 4., cap. xvii.),
that a child of five years, the son of a Koman noble
man, was in the habit of profaning the name of God.
The father neglected to correct him ; but he one day
saw his son pursued by certain black men. The child
ran to embrace his father ; but they, who were so many
devils, killed him in the father's arms, and carried him
with them to hell.
Second Point. On the great rigour with which God
punishes the sin of blasphemy.
6. "Woe to the sinful nation... they have blas
phemed the Holy One of Israel." (Isa. i. 4.) W°e to
blasphemers, eternal woe to them : for, according to
Tobias, they shall be condemned. " They shall be con
demned that blaspheme thee." (Job xiii. 16.) The Lord
has said by the mouth of Job, "Thou imitatest the
412
SERMON LI 1 1.
tongue of blasphemers ; thy own mouth shall condemn,
and not I." (Job xv. 5, 6.) In pronouncing the sentence
of their condemnation, God will say : It is not I that
condemn you to hell ; it is your own mouth, with which
you have dared to revile me and .my saints, that con
demns you. Poor miserable blasphemers ! They shall
continue to blaspheme in hell for their greater torment :
their very blasphemies in hell shall always remind them
that they^ are damned for ever in punishment of their
blasphemies on earth.
7. But blasphemers are punished not only in hell,
but even on this earth. In the Old Law they were
stoned by the people. " And he that blasphemeth the
name of the Lord, dying let him die ; all the multitude
shall stone him." (Lev. xxiv. 76.) In the New Law
they were condemned to death by the Emperor Justi
nian. St. Louis, King of France, ordered them to be
punished by perforating their tongue, and by branding
their forehead with a red hot iron ; and when they
afterwards relapsed into blasphemy, he ordained that
they should die on the scaffold. (Homo Bon. de cas.
res. p. 2, c. i.) Another author says, that the law
renders blasphemers (as being infamous) incapable of
giving testimony. (Navarr. cons. 11, de offic. ord.) By
the constitution of Gregory the Fourteenth, they were
deprived of Christian burial. In the Authentica ut non
luxur horn., it is said that blasphemies bring on famine,
earthquakes, and pestilence. " Propter blasphemias, et
fames, et terreemotus et pestilentia fiunt." You, O
blasphemer, complain that though you labour and sub
mit to fatigue, you are always in poverty. You say : " I
know not why I am always in misery : some malediction
must have fallen on my family." No ; the blasphemies
which you utter are the cause of your wretchedness, and
make you always an object of God's malediction.
8. ^ 0 ! how many melancholy examples could I
mention of blasphemers who have died a bad death.
Father Segneri relates, (Tom. 1, Rag. 8,) that, in Gas-
cony, two men who had blasphemed the blood of Jesus
Christ, were soon after killed in a quarrel, and torn to
pieces by dogs. In Mexico, a blasphemer being once re
proved, answered : " I will hereafter blaspheme more
BLASPHEMY. 413
than I have hitherto done." During the night he found
his tongue sowed under the palate, and died in that
miserable state without giving the least sign of repentance.
Dresselius relates, that a certain person was struck blind
in the very act of blaspheming. Another, in uttering a
blasphemy against St. Anthony, was seized by a flame
which issued from the image of the saint, and was burnt
alive. In his book against blasphemy, Sarnelli relates,
that in Constantinople, a man called Simon Tornaco,
who had blasphemed God, began like a mad dog to
lacerate his own flesh, and died in his madness. Canta-
pratensis states (cap. xlviii.), that a person who had been
guilty of blasphemy, had his eyes distorted, and that
falling on the ground he bellowed like an ox, and con
tinued to roar aloud until he expired. In the Gallician
Mercury (lib. x.) we read that a man named Michael,
who had been condemned to be hanged, when he felt
the pain of the halter, burst out into blasphemies, and
died instantly. After death his head fell from the body,
and the tongue remined hanging out from the neck, as
black as coal. I abstain from fatiguing you with other
terrible examples : you can find a great many of them
in the work of Father Sarnelli against blasphemy.
9. But to conclude. Tell me, 0 blasphemers, if
there be any of you present, what benefit do you derive
from your accursed blasphemies ? You do not receive
pleasure from them. Bellarmine says, that blasphemy
is a sin which produces no pleasure. You derive no
profit from them ; for, as I have already said, your
blasphemies are the cause of your poverty and wretch
edness. You derive no honour from them ; your
fellow- blasphemers have a horror of your blasphemies,
and call you a mouth of hell. Tell me, then, why you
blaspheme. " Father, the habit which I have contracted
is the cause of my blasphemies." But can this habit
excuse you before God ? If a son beat his father, and
say to him : " My father, have compassion on me : for I
have contracted a habit of beating you :" would the
father take pity on him ? You say that you blaspheme
through the anger caused by your children, your wife,
or your master. Your wife or your master put you into
a passion, and you take revenge on the saints. What
414 SERMON LIII.
injury have the saints done to you ? They intercede
before God in your behalf, and you blaspheme them. But
" the devil tempts me at that time." If the devil tempts
you, follow the example of a certain young man, who,
when tempted to blaspheme, went for advice to the Abbot
Pemene. The abbot told him, that as often as the devil
tempted him to commit this sin, his answer should be :
Why should I blaspheme that God who has created me,
and bestowed so many benefits upon me ? I will for
ever praise and bless him. The young man followed the
advice, and Satan ceased to tempt him. When you are
excited to anger, can you speak nothing but blasphemies?
Say on such occasions : " Accursed sin, I hate thee :
Lord, assist me: Mary, obtain for me the gift of patience."
And if you have hitherto contracted the abominable
habit of blaspheming, renew every morning, as soon as
you rise, the resolution of doing violence to yourself to
abstain from all blasphemies during the day : and then
say three Arcs to most holy Mary, that she may obtain
for you the grace to resist every temptation by which
you shall be assailed.
THE END.
Printed by EDMUOT BURKE & Co., Cl & 62 Great Strand Street, Dublin,
Liguori , A.M.
Sermons for all the Sundays
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